Evening star., 1921-12-16
JAPAN WINS POINT
IN NAVAL PROGRAM
Abandonment of U. S. Plans
in Guam Declared to Re-
move Menace.
AMERICA ALSO GAINS
This Country Scores by Retention
Of Superdreadnaughts Colorado
and Washington.
NY IuNIus II. WOOD.
BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.

and Washington.
BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.
BY the inclusion of insular fortifica-
tions in the three-party agreement
for the reduction of capital ships,
which was announced yesterday, ia
pan has won it's principal contention
5n the naval armament program.
abandonment of the American plans
FOR fortifying and making Guam
naval base was the most important
objective announced by Japan as soon
jas the invitation to the conference
swas accepted. American possession
aof Guam has always been disquiet-
1ns to Japan and the American Nays
plan to make 1t defensive station Oh
the route between Hawaii and the
Philippines has been considered es-
pecfally menaeing to Japans plans
since the latter's domain was extend
ed south to the equator through the
acquisition of the mandate over the
former German islands.
May Halt British Plans.
The fortiacations in the Philippines
were considered of secondary import
ance. IS without the support of ma
val base in Guam these are practically
isolated from the United States for
naval purposes. The agreement also
applies to Hongkong and may halt,
though it does not specifically say SO,
the British plans for increasing the
.defenses on Kowloon on the adjoin-
ting mainland. 1t does not apply to
Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, ia
.pan proper or the coasts OF Canada
:4nd the United States.
/. No mention is made Of the various
80 IN nd <sNn r.
liable naval bases maintained by for
seiSn powers on the mainland of Asia
-Saigon by France, Wei Hal Wei by
Great Britain and Port Arthur by
Japan. Nor does it apply to the ex-
:tensive East Indian colonies of the
,miles. including sumatra. Java.
;Celebes and Borneo-for which the
Dutch government has just announced
a $100.O00,000 program OF defensive
works, with bases at Tandjong Prick,
iSoerabaya and the Lila archipelago
land forts at Macassar.
!. Japan Strengthens Forts.
:. Japan does not secure the removal
;of what she calls the menace of
American forts without similar re-
snunciation on her part Work has
ALREADY started on fertilization on the
Bonin islands. Formosa is fairly well
defended and would be impregnable
~
sother plans call for forts on Pesca-
sdores, Loochoo and Hachiji islands, all
10 the south Of Japan. They can
hardly be called a part of Japan
proper, though they are so shown on
.the latest maps.
/, The status OF Saghalien Island, the
horth half of which belongs to Rus
sia and is now occupied by Japa-
nese expedition, also may be affected
by the four-power agreement on Pa
cific islands. This is on the agenda
for discussion later, and Japan has
on the adjoining mainland concerns
only herself and the Far Eastern Re
public, and is not an affair for the
conference. r
z America Retains Ships.
r. Though the American naval strate-
Eists will be obliged to change their
entire scheme of defense in the Pa
ctffc by the abandonment Of Guam as
= naval base. they have scored in the
tho superdreadnaughts Colorado and
Warrington. This has been expected
a. means Of permitting Japan to
retain the Mutsu ever since the pro-
posed modification in the naval fig
ures was first announced in this news-
paper November ls. The Colorado and
washington will be serviceable after
the ten-year naval holiday. and the
economy in completing them. instead
OF retaining two obsolete ships and
going to the expense of building two
new ones In ten years. was obvious.
Japan saves the Mutsu. which is
already in commission, but has given
up hopes of saving her other par
italy completed dreadnaughts. This
Will be a blow to the navy, but not
An unWelcome one to the CONNER
Slal interests of the country The
Il vo
per II. and invitations are out for
the launching of the Tosa at Naga-
4akI next Sunday. Each is a 80, 900
TON battle cruiser with a main arma-
Tent OF ten sixteen-inch guns. The
sn the ships. After she was launched
fhe number of workmen on the Kaga
Eas doubled and the keel of the
Atago was Immediately laid on the
ways she had left. The latest re-
Pf the Takao is to be laid as soon
Is the Tosa is launched. The Ataso
And Takao are each to be of $4,000
fons, with a main armament of eight
tixteen-tnch, or possibly eighteen
neh guns. The Amagi and Akagi.
Refng rushed to completion and are
Sue for launching at the Yokosuka
and Kure naval yards in about six
months.
Ratio Slightly Changed.
Under the new proposal, by which
Great Britain is to scrap four more
pld ships and construct two new
4uper-Hoods which have not been
4tarted. the ratio is somewhat
changed from the 6-5-3. which it
would have been under the American
proposal for the next ten years.
The comparative strengths of the two
plans are:
Prpyioug
Ships. Tonnage. Ships Tonnage.
Great Britain. 22 64. $50 90 5S3 go
Pntted States. IS 5O0S5O 1S $50
Japan 10 299.70O 10 3I3,3OO
{ After the ten-year naval holiday, the
6-0-3 ratio is to be adhered to, though
bper cent larger than originally contem-
plated. the relative tonnages being
625, 900, $4,000 and 315.O0O.
A new question which has arisen be-
fore the conference is whether '.scrap-
ping" the old ships can oe technically
accomplished by selling them to smaller
nations. anording them opportunities to
battle on q more limited scale. The
conference will make definition.
Copyright. 1921