Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-11-22
STUDY OBSTACLES
T0NAW REDUCTION
Experts of Major Powers Re-
viewing Technical Cues
lions Now Arising.
~ the Associated Press.


arisen in connection with the American
proposals for immediate reduction OF
the fleets and a ten-year naval building
holiday. The British and Japanese OIL
GERS appear to have found some details
Of the plan which will require treatment
before there is final acceptance.
For one thing. the British have point
cd out the effect on fleets the American
program would have II the full measure
of Secretary Hughes plan were carried
into execution The plan proposes alb
solute cessation Of building for ten
years; the fixing of the life OF battle
ship at twenty years. replacement
building to begin seventeen years after
the ship to be replaced was completed,
this allowing three years for construc-
ton Of the new ships.
Tventy-Year Rule Novel.
The twe1Ity-year life rule alone is
a novel one for other navies. Japan
now uses eight years as tie lie OF
capital ships beginning replacement
within that period after a vessel is
constructed. She has not as yet work.
ed out this eight-year cycle, however
excepting with. her present building
program to attain it in 1928. Great
Britain has no replacement scneduie
at present. For two years prlor "
tleships a year. and years previously
four a year. This program was wnat
maintained her "two-power stano-
ard" now abandoned. 1t did not con
template a twenty-year actiVe iiie
for the ships.
Applying the proposed American re-
placement rule to the ships to be re-
tanned by each power under the same
program, Great Britain would nave IN
1881. at the end of the ten-year naval
holiday, when she might begin re-
placement building, four battleshps
ttat dated back twenty-five years to
the time their keels were laid. four
going back twenty-one years and -FOUR
twenty years. Her newest battlesnips'
the Royal Sovereign group OF hVe,
were laid down in 1914 and competed
in 1916 under war pressure. They
would be fifteen years from date OF
completion and two years from pc
ginning of replacement vessels when
the holiday ended.
Future Value Problematical.
One of the four British battle cruis-
ers to be retained. the Tiger. was laid
down in 1911. She would be ready
for replacement also in 1881. The
other three, the Hood. Renown and
Repulse. were war built and designed
for action in the North sea. Their
value, except for the special purposes
for which they were built to serve
in the war. the prevention OF German
raiders from shooting up the coast OF
England, is problematical.
Applying the twenty-year life rule
and the holiday decade to the ships
America proposes to keep, eight OF
or more from the date their keels
were laid in 1881. Two Of them, the
Delaware and North Dakota. would
be a year past their allotted twenty
year span before replacement build
ing could begin. They would be TWEEN
ty-four years old from completion be-
fore the ships to replace them were
commissioned. The newest American
ships, the Maryland. California, Ten
nessee, Idaho and Mississippi, how
ever, would still have almost a decade
each Of active life left in them when
the holiday ended.
Japan's Situation Similar.
In the same way in the Japanese
battleship, the Settsu, was laid down
in 1911. She would have but three
years of active life left when the holi-
day ended. Four others of her six
battleships-theF Fuse. Yamaskiro, Ise
and Higua-would have from four to
five years to go before they were
strapped as worn out, and replaced.
The Negato alone would have a dec
ade or more of serviceable life left,
and the four battle cruisers-the
v4s
go-also would have only four or five
years each before they would be
dropped from the lists and replaced.
Viewed in this way there Is some
reason to believe that both the British
and Japanese experts think the United
States would come to the end of the
holiday period in far better shape
than either of the other two powers.
That appears to be the basis of the
discussions now proceeding and per-
haps of the Japanese desire to retain
some of the newer ships, scheduled
for the scrap heap by the American
plan. rather than destroy them. If
each navy, as seems likely, felt it
necessary to take immediate advan-
tage of the resumption of capital ship
building In 1881, 1t Is suggested, enor-
nous projects would have to be
launched in that year.
Weighs Heavily ON Japan.
The situation apparently would
weigh more heavily on Japan than on
Great Britain because, under the
$3.50 ratio" Of Secretary Hughes
plan. already accepted by the British,
the British should have to provide for
a 20 per cent reduction of their fleet
by 1881, when the ratio would apply.
Japan would not face any such reduc-
ton, however, and must get to work
promptly on new ships If she was to
maintain even the proposed "5-5-3'
ratio.
It seems possible that Secretary
Hughes contemplated a still greater
reduction In tonnage than the 100000
laid down in his replacement plan. He
was stating the case for the United
States with the possibility Of an agree
ment on far eastern and Pacific ques-
tons in the background. and he used
this language:
with the acceptance Of this plan
the burden Of meeting the demands
Of competition in naval armament
will be lifted.
Would Free Money.
Enormous sums will be released
to aid the progress of civilization.
At the same time the proper demands
of national defense will be adequate
ly met and the nations will have
ample opportunity during the naval
holiday of ten years to consider their
future course"
There seems little reason to doubt
that the American replacement pro-