The daily times., 1921-11-09
BATTLE CRUISER VITAL
BATTLE CRUISER VITAL
Twelve Per Cent of the Ma
tional Expenditure of the
United States Goes For Ma
val Armament, England
Spends 8 IL Per Cent; Ja-
pan Spends 32 Per Cent.
(By David Lawrence.
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily

Times.)
Washington, Nov S-Back Of the
scenes where the American naval pro-
gram is being mapped out for presen
tation to the Conference on Limita-
tion of Armament, there's an inter
esting discussion going on as to the
value of battle cruisers. Can the Uni
ted States afford to let Japan excel
in this type of vessel which ever
since the battle of Jutland has stirred
up naval critics? There are two
schools of thought-those who be-
+ lieve the battleship is the craft that
must eventually bear the brunt of a
sea struggle and those who believe
that without battle cruisers the Uni
ted States cannot hope to compete
with Japan in the Pacific.
The truth is the United States has
six battle cruisers building and would
enter the coming conference with
much more ease of mind if those yes
sells were already in commission. For
many years the movement for reduc-
tion of armament has suffered be-
cause the leading naval powers did
not wish to place themselves on an
inferior basis. The present tendency
of the powers is to preserve the ratio
of strength that exists but to cut
down the expense of useless ships
that is ships which would be useless
If everybody agreed to dispose of
auxiliary craft, now out of date.
| Is Japan stronger than the United
States on the sea? The actual statis-
tics would seem to show the United
States as superior but the naval ex-
'perts are skeptical. They say the bat
tile of Jutland revolutioniz I'd every
thing-that the battle cruiser is vital.
! And of course the United States i;
weak in that direction, though opin-
ion may differ as to whether the
weakness could be overcome by the
preponderance of battleships
Anyway. it is essential in order to
know just what the naval experts are
talking about, to study the official
figures giving the latest authentic in
formation as to the strengh of the
five leading naval powers. Here they
are:
Battleships, first line built-Great
Britain 26; United States IS; Japan
6; France Z; Italy 5.
First line building-Great Britain
O; United States 8; Japan Z; France
O; Italy o.
Battleships, second line Great Brit
ain 6; United States 5; Japan 4;
France Z; Italy 4
Battle cruisers, first line built
Great Britain 6; United States o;
Japan 4; France O; Italy 0.
First line bui1ding-Great Britain
IA; United States 6; Japan 8; France
o; Italy 0.
Battle cruisers. Second line
Great Britain A. United States o;
Japan 0; France O: Italy 0.
Light cruisers First line-Great
Britain 2; United States O.; Japan o;
France o; Italy o.
Second line-Great Britain 4 Uni
ted States 10; Japan 5; France IL;
Italy 3.
i BY examining the foregoing table
it will be seen that Japan has al
iready in commission four cruisers
which while of the pre-Jutland type
are considered an invaluable asset in
the Pacific The cruiser type of yes
Esel being much faster than the battle
lship can get information and draw
out enemy vessels and do whole
lot of damage in preliminary way
1.-The japanese battla cruisers which
are under construction are similar
to the American types. Japan ho1eye'
is building eight and the Cnitet
States only six SO that Japan with {
total of twelve battle cruisers woalt
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