The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-14
Mikado's Armada of Battle
Cruisers Now Eclipses
Americas

TOXIC, April I4-Japan's present ma
val program, which, say officials, will be |
completed whatever may be arranged |
with foreign powers as to future cur !
tailment, means more than the erea-I
tich OF the socalled eight and eight |
units. The phrase eight and eight" sig
mites, according to the official view here, !
that Japan will build until she has eight |
first class battleships and eight first
class battle cruisers, but it also sIgni
tes another eight" namely, that when
one OF the above sixteen units reaches
the age of eight years, that unit passes
to the second line, TO be replaced i'm
mediately by new ship of the latest
design.
1t Is pointed out, therefore. that ia
pans future navy, as at present Uut
lined, will have sixteen first class fight
ing ships OF the latest construction as
well as numerous ships of the secondl
line, to which the Warships now buildingl
will fall when a period of eight gears
makes substitution necessary. Hence
adherence to the eight and eight" planl
means constant building and constant
outlay to which eN-Minister HukiOl
OzakI takes objection in his campaigtil
for an international agreement for ma
val restriction on the ground that the
budget involved will prove disastrous
for his country.
Comparison of Navies.
4 comparison of the strength of the
navies of Japan and the United States
shows according to the view held here
that in 1921 Japan will havg one fewe
major ships, two more light cruisers,
22O fewer destroyeTs and eleven fewe
submarines than the United States. BY
the end of 1923. if the programs of the
respective countries are carried out, the
United States will lead Japan by six
teen in major warships. She will have
23l more destroyers and "A more sub
marines; but, on the other hand. the
American light cruisers will fall behind
Japan's to the number of three. BY the
end of 1921, Japan will have two fewer
big ships, three more light cruisers and
Il fewer destrOyers. Japan is. however,
dcyoting herself TO submarines and it,
is expected that by 1927 she will beat
the United States in submarines to the
number of 50.
If the United States does not start
a new program after 1923 (either replac
ing old ships transferred to the second
line" or augmenting her fleet) Japan, it
is held here, after big expenditures and
continuous building at her maximum ca
pacity, will in 1927 only be in practically I
the same relative position as she isl
today, 1921.
JapanS Navy EcllpSed.
IF. on the other hand, the Unitcdl
States after 1928 adopts a new buildingl
program of NOnly replacing the ships
going into the second line" which is
regarded as not only a reasonable as
sumption, but almost a certainty, then,
it is the contention here, that Japan in
1927. will occupy the same relatively
weak position that she will have in 1923.
Those favorlng Japans entering an in
ternatiOnal restriction agreement eX
press the opinion that Japan's plans are
laid without any thought of the United
States policy after 1923. And further,
that if Japan seriously favored or de
sired disarmament for herself she would
take the lead in trying to force the
world to accept it. Immediately. rather
than sit back and permit the United
States and Great Britain to take the
initiative.
Appearances here indicate that Japan
IS dong everything to expedite her build
ing program Admiral katO, the min
ister of marine, recently told the diet
that the following in England of the
principle of the division of work made
it possible to build more quickly and at
the minimum expense.
Adopts British Policy.
Heretofore it has been the policy of
the japanese navy to make each navy
| yard as complete a unit as possible. cap
II
the policy of rapid naval expansion was
| adopted, it was found that such yards
were not capable of quick expansion. In
the meantime, private manufacturing
| facilities have reveloped to such an eX-
| tent that the navy can now deDend on
some of them to supply much of its re
quired materials. 1t therefore is con
sidered probable here that the Brit
ish policy, cited by the minister of the
navy, has been adopted by the Japanese
navy department.
| The almost simultaneous establish
ment of the new naval gun factories at
Hiro and Sasebo. the naval arsenal in
Smoki. which includes 800 acres of land
the ATitsubishi torpedo factory near
/ Nagasaki. the airplane factories of Ma
! goya and Sasebo, the development of the
ordinance section of the Muroran steel
works and numerous other small prof
ects are believed to show, in addition to
a haste in increasing ornaments, a per-
lmanent Encouragement and division of
work that will in the future be capable
of still greater expansion without con-
Il fusion or disorganization.
Japan's Armada.
Japan has now uper-dreadnaughts
; less than q years of age, namely, the
4 Fuse, Yamashiro, Ise. Hyuga and Ma.
cato. In 1929, under the age limit pol
d! icy. the Fuse will fall INTO second, line
but the new super dread nauGhts Mutsu