Great Falls tribune., 1921-11-23

klCs
White House Tuesday after an hours
conference.
Naval Experts Busy.
Naval experts of the three major
powers still were reviewing today the
highly technical questions connected
with the American proposals for i'm
mediate fleet reduction and a ten-year
naval holiday. The British and Jap
anese officers appear to have found
some details of the plan which will
require further treatment before final
acceptance.
The British have pointed out the eff
feet on the fleets if the full measure
of Secretary Hughes plan were car
ried into execution.
The plan proposes cessation of
building for 10 years, placing the bfe
of a battleship at 20 years, replace
ment building to begin II years after
the ship to be replaced was completed,
thus allowing three years for con-
struction of the new ship.
The 20-year life rule alone is novel
one for other navies Japan now uses
eight years as the life of capital ships,
beginning replacement within that
period after vessel is constructed.
She has not as yet worked out this
eight-year cycle, however. excepting
with her present building program to
attain it in 1923. Great Britain has
no replacement schedule at present.
For two years prior to the war she
laid down five new battleships q year
and for years previously four a year.
This program is what maintained her
''two-power standard now abandoned.
Applying the proposed American re-
placement rule to the ships to be re-
tanned by each power under the same
program, Great Britain would have in
1881, at the end of the 10-year naval
holiday when she might begin replace
ment building, four battleships that
dated back % years to the time their
keels were laid, four going back p
years and four 90 years, Her new
est battleships, the Royal Sovereign
group of five. were laid down in 1914
sure. They would be fifteen years
from date of completion and two years
from the beginning of replacement ves-
sells when the holiday ended.
Means Old Ships.
One of the four British battle
cruisers 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.
Applying the 20-year life rule and
the holiday decade to the ships Amer
lea proposes to keep, eight of the IS
would be 20 years or more from the
date their keels were laid in 1881.
Two of them, the Delaware and North
Dakota, would be "a years old from
completion before the ships to replace
them were commissioned. The newest
ships, the Maryland, California, Ten
nessee, Idaho and Mississippi, how,
ever would sti!l have almost a decade
of active life when the holiday ended.
In the same way in the japanese
retained fleet the Oldest Japanese bat
tleship, the Settsu, was laid down in
1911 She would have but three years
of active life left when the holiday
ended. Four other of her six battle
ships, the Fuso, Yamashiro, Ise and
Higua, would have from four to five
years to go before being scrapped as
worn out and replaced. The Nagato
alone would have a decade or more of
serviceable life left and the four bat
He-Yei and Kongo, also would have
only four or five years before they
would be replaced.
America Would Benefit.
Viewed in this way, there is some
reason to believe that both the Bri-
tish 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.
The. situation apparently would
weigh more heavily on Japan than on
Great Britain b.cause under the
"5-5-3 ratio of Secretary Hughes
plan already accepted by the British
the British would have to provide for
20 per cent reduction of their fleet
by 1881, when the ratio would apply.
Japan would not face any such reduc
tion. 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
100000 100000 capital ships aggre
gate 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
questions in the back ground
There seems little reason to doubt
gram to apply after the holiday is
largely tentative except in the "5-5-3
ratio principle. 1t was expected BY
the American delegates without gues-
ton that 1O-year test of the practical
results OF other agreements reached as
to the Ear East would pave the way
for still further naval reductions Mt
the end of that time.