Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-09-09
ARTICLE a.

ARTICLE a.
The great Conference on the Limi-
tation Of Armaments, which ended
with such happy results al Washing
ton, provides for American naval
strength on an equality with that Of
Great Britain, Japan's in turn being
forty per cent less This is known
popularity as the $50 naval agree
ment
But there can be no thought Of
naval equality If that equality is to
rest on purely naval ships A mer-
chant marine is az much a part Of a
nations navy as the capital ships Of
the navy itself The yeriest layman,
II he but stop TO consider. Will realize
that in time Of war a navy requires
ships for bunkering. ships for supplies,
both Of the cargo and refrigerator
type, to an extent that no navy pos
sesses in time Of peace In addition,
the very backbone Of navy for Of.
fensiye warfare is a merchant marine
Of the fast cruiser and raider type.
This was exemplified during the war
by depredations committed by the
PRINCE EfTEL FREDERICK, KRON.
PRi.JZ FREDERICK WILHELM and
MOEWb, and other fast German mer.
chant ships on the merchant shipping
OF the world 1t required a wide diver
sion of British naval ships to run
down finally and drive these German
commerce raiders off the seas Thus
in times OF war fast merchant ships
divert the very best OF ships in naval
service,
Merchant Ships Essential To Navy.
When a navy is engaged in either ac-
tive warfare or a blaekade at great
distance from the home base. II requires
an amending merchant fleet OF every
type TO keep 1t going fast passenger
Slips for raiding, scouting and car
riage Of airplanes: refrigerator ships
for food; tankerB and golfers for
bunkering and regular cargo ships
for other supplies
We all too well remember. that
when President Roosevelt made the
proud gesture involved in the dispatch
OF our battle fleet around the world, it
had to be bunkered and supplied in
the Pacihc almost entirely by foreign
flag ships our naval giant while i'm
pressing the world at the same time
proved It's feet were made of clay
Such shame and impotency must
never again come TO America
In addition 10 our naval needs, the
late war has proved that If an army
h TO be transported, there must be an
amending merchant marine under our
flag II is through the all too late and
costly realization of this very need
that We tnd ourselves in possession OF
our today's aforementioned fleet
Naval Equality Threatened.
II We are To be on anything like
naval parity with Great Britain under
the $50 program then there is no
problem before the American people
that presses more urgently for solu-
ton than the problem OF our merchant
marine As Secretary DENLY has said.
il all naval armament were ended by
world agreement, Great Britain would
be more powerful on the sea than ever
in its history because its vast mer
chant marine could be used if no
other navy existed. for war purposes
as we'll as TO meet peace needs
In the passenger and combination
passenge ships, which are
the very backbone of a merchant ma
rine for wartime ueeds, we are stin
sadly deficient, for oar war-built fleet
includes few passenger ships or this
type of ships America has today Is
compared to approximately $50 belong
ing 10 Great Britain. or almost five
times as many such vital ships in
favor OF Britain as against ourselves
When age and speed. in addition, are
considered. as considered they must
be the ratio is even higher In favor of
Great Britain
Sc thst all thought must he pat aside
that there IS any possibility ~ oar being
on a 3 naval basis wiki Great Britain
uaioSs and until We have a national policy
TO insure the merchant marine which mus,
he added q the total III our navy rs huA
che true basis af relationship IL the naval
actUaltJies ~ Gvoat britain rp suS with
out such merchant marine that the
Washington conference has re, 9ltad ia
naval equality between oursels. ud Great
Britain is 10 display ar islofauyv thar
may be Maid for later tia che humiliation