Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-09-22
NAVY BUILDING IS SOLUTION
Undoubtedly Programs For The Future
Growth Of NaVies BY Great Pow
ers Will Be Focal Point

Washington.-The crux Of the forth
coming Washington conference on
armament limitation is embraced in
the present naval building programs
of the great powers.
Whether machinery is set up for
immediate reduction Of naval arma-
ment or whether there is established
merely a formula for future limitation
of war-craft building will depend upon
whether the nations can agree on dis
position of their present building out
lays.
The questions are these:
1: Shall the powers go ahead with
their present building agreement on
policy to prevail in the future, or
2: Shall the powers establish ma
chinery for curtailing present building
activity to relieve the immediate tax
burden involved in this work?
8: If the present programs are to be
curtailed in what classes Of ships are
the cuts to be made?
The situation confronting the confer
ence has been brought rather sharply
into relief by dispatches from Toxic
declaring it to be the decision of the
japanese government that it's present
naval building program must be car
ried out to completion. And this, as
those in touch with the attitude OF Of
ficials here have known for months,
is the attitude, too, of the American
government on its own building pro
gram. 1t will be recalled that Secre-
tary Hughes recently made 1t very
clear that the forthcoming conference
was for the purpose of limiting arma-
ment" and not for disarmament" "
And this governments attitude is fur
Their brought into relief by the reve-
lation of Director OF the Budget Dawes
that his estimates on departmental
savings showed that none had been
submitted by the navy department.
Before the armament conference
was called President Harding made it
quite clear to those interested in the
subject that there was no intention on
the part OF the United States to Junk
the work already begun, entailing vast
expenditures to date, on the present
naval program. Since the conference
was called government officials have
supported this same contention-that
the United States must go ahead with
it's present construction program.
If this ultimately proves to be the
immutable disposition of the negotiat-
ing powers here, the conference viii,
of necessity, confine itself largely to
he creation of formula and machin-
cry for future armament limitation,
while the taxpayers go on carrying
their present burden. Against such
a program there would certainly be
very loud clamors from congress and
from much OF the public, who are ex-
pecting immediate armament curtail
ments.
On the other hand, il the work OF
effecting immediate reductions is TAX
en- into consideration, the United
States is in the delicate position OF
having to advocate continuation of
her present naval progress just the
same. Inferior to Great Britain both
in the matter of great battleships and
battle cruisers and inferior to Japan
in the matter of battle cruisers, United
States naval authorities say that the
breach between this country and Eng
land in the battleship class must be
narrowed while the breach between
the United States and Japan in the
battle cruiser class must be wiped
out. The only way to do this would
be for Japan to cease building bat
tie cruisers, England to cease building
battleships-and the United States to
go ahead with her present program to
it's completion.
Petroleum Fire Is Fatal To Ten