The New York herald., 1921-12-12
FRANCE AND ITALYS
NAVAL RATIO FIXED
Said to Be Set at 10000 Tons
in Capital Ships for Each
Country.
ONE POINT OF ADVANTAGE
More Powerful Vessels Can Be
Built Because Operating
Near Bases.
ONE POINT OF ADVANTAGE
BY eraser ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Special Despatch to THE NHw YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. C., Dec. IL.
rather differently balanced naval
ratio is believed to have been agreed
upon to settle the strength of France and
Italy. The capital ship ratio Is under
stood to have been set at about 100000
tons, while the ratio for auxiliary COM
batant craft and submarines IS supposed
10 equal that of Japan. Although some
competent authorities state that there
Is an agreement in this respect, Britain's
acquiescence is matter of doubt.
To some it seemed almost impossible
that France and Italy would accept
reduced capital ship ratio, but it is GER
tain that neither of these nations has
thousands OF tons. This allotment will
mean that they will be able to increase
their capital ship forces
Another factor that figures largely in
the reported acceptance of this ratio
is that these countries can build more
powerful ship on the same displacement
than that allowed to the other nations.
Cruising radius supplies the reason
French and Italian capital ships will
never be forced to operate very far from
their bases. This means that space and
weight and special equipment for long
cruising can be done away with in their
ships and the tonnage saved can be
turned to offensive and defensive strength
guns, armor and speed.
Defence of Colonies.
France cannot expect to be able to
defend thoroughly her scattered over
seas possessions with capital ships. 1t
tnA
has never had a fleet OF sufficient size
to do this. She never has been able to
afford one. The defence of the French
colonial possessions will have to be left
TO cruisers. or course these ships will
not be able to fight any Of the more
powerful types. but they can be speedy
vessels to divert enemy tonnage from
the main scene of action by raiding COM
merce.
When one remembers the tremendous
damage done by the little German EN-
den OF less than 1000 tons, twenty-four
knots and carrying only 41-inch guns,
while pursued by the navies of three
Powers, the value of the cruiser as a
commerce raider becomes apparent 1t
Is far greater than that OF the sub
marine. These cruisers, represented by
great auxiliary combatant tonnage, are
which cannot be strong in first line
craft. The work done by the American
privateers in the war OF 1912 brings to
light their real advantage.
or course sea power and ultimately
sea control depends upon the capital
ship, but In the absence of this type the
cruiser takes the prominent place.
Premier BRAND stated that the sub
marine was the defence of the weak
To state this expression in more mill
tary terms. we say. the submarine Is
the weapon of the weaker naval nation
against the stronger That is why France
wants submarincs-to act as a check
upon the more powerful naval nations.
Having a weaker navy. Germany was
forced to rely upon submarines to make
war upon the navally stronger England.
Experience I'm JutIand Battle.
Germany would not send her capital
ship fleet to sea in the face of certain
destruction by the more powerful British
fleet in an effort to break the British
line. They tried Il but once The battle
of Jutland resulted and the German
fleet was tied up 1T Kiel for the rest of
the war. The eituation in the North Sea
is scarcely to be compared with the
situation in the Mediterranean. The
Mediterranean Is almost ideal for sub
marine activities. With submarines
France and Italy can control it abso-
lutely. There are only two entrances, the
Suez and Gibraltar, and these entrances
can be blocked by fleet of submarines
based at almost any one of the many
French and Italian ports.
England will be heard from. Merely
to pass on and not regard England, be-
lieving that she will accept as n matter
Of course, Is entirely foolish. Her great
est trade route. the one that means life
or death for the British Empire passes
through the Mediterranean. II is her
principal route to the tcast-to India, to
Australia and the South Pacific islands
British commerce spells success or fail
ure I'm war to Great Britain. Germany
tried to break England by destroying
her commerce with the submarine Com
pare the activities of any ten German
submarines with those of the single
Emden. Ten fast commerce raiding
cruisers could do more damage TO Brit
ish commerce in a single year than the
German submarines did IN the four years
Of the war.
Neither France nor italy need fear
the United States or Japan. They are
too remote from them. England is the
nation with which they are most con-
cerned. French and italian interests do
not clash with those OF the United
States and Japan to any great degree.
nor are there any great prospects of
future clashes. But they do clash with
those OF England and there arc prospects
Of future clashes