The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1922-03-03

dTedunduBnts.
1t is possible to estimate, however
and with reasonable accuracy, the i'm.
mediate saving to the taxpayers OF
the United States through the inau-
guration of the Hughes naval limita-
/ ton program. Since the memorable
day when that program was cast up
on the world like a bombshell, ex-
perts have been giving their atten-
ton to this matter. They estimate
that approximately five billions of
dollars will be saved to the taxpayers
of this nation during the fifteen
years of the life of the new naval
treaty.
Let us see how this saving is to be
accomplished. Under the Hughes
plan, which has been accepted by the
five great naval powers, the United
States scraps 80 capital ships. The
cost of maintaining a capital ship is
placed by naval authorities at three
million dollars a year. Upon the
item of maintenance alone, therefore,
there is an annual saving Of 100000
600. In the case of the older capital
ships the cost of maintenance Is reck-
oned at something less than three
millions of dollars, but naval author
tiles assert that general overhead
charges, which must be added, make
ninety million dollars a year a con-
sentative figure.
Extended over period of fifteen
years, the duration of the naval trea-
~. and compounded at per cent.
this amount reaches the impressive
total of $2,OS9,49O.54S.
Under the same plan. the United
states scraps Is capital ships now
under construction. The approx
mate cost of the modern capital ship
is S4O,OoO.OOO. making .he total cost
of these Is now ships. IL completed
$4,000, 900. Mr. Hughes las stat
ed that the United States already has
expended approximately $33O,OO0.-
600 on the ships under construction.
which, compared with the cost of
completing. shows a difference of
100000, 900, or the amount saved
by the decision to scrap these ships.
Funds for meeting this obligation pro-
badly would not be required imme-
diately, and therefore the statisti-
clans compound the amount az six
PER c,nt over a period IF twelve .ears
Il stead of fifteen, giving total OF
soT7,OS4,790.
The existing yards, decks and 9TH
- shore establishn ents of the Lnited
States are regarle', as sonawh5t be-
low adequate for the ldyy al Is pres
ent strength. They are however,
thought to be sufficient for the re-
d;teG navy contemplated under the
hughes pro.ram. Naval ell rts fig
IRE that at a normal rat" 0; eXpan-
sion of the American navy, such as
might have be:n expected If &c l!mi-
tation agreement mad heel re ached,
the appropriation for shore establish
ments would have to be increased at
least $40, OOO,O 900 a year. With the
Hughes plan in operation, this $1O,-
100000 annually will be saved. and.
computed over a period of Is years
and compounded as before, becomes
$500. 900, approximately.
Now comes another tremendous
item. Under the old conditions of
competition in armament, American
naval experts believed the United
States. in order to maintain posi-
tion of naval strength commensurate
with her size, wealth, population and
territorial interest, should build 'at
least two capital ships year. With
the new building program previous
Is contemplated by Great Britain,
and with the Japanese navy assum-
ing alarming proportions under the
so-called eight-aight program. experts
declare that nothing short of two
capital ship a year program would
have been adequate for the safety of
the United States. .
The estimated cost of a modern
capital ship today is $40,0O0,000, II
we are to judge by the way in which
the cost OF these sea-monsters has
mounted in the past ten years. the
necessary for laying
down the modern capital ship OF the
future would have been much great
er had there been no limitation on
Those who ought to know
say that $5O,OOO,OOO is more nearly
correct than the former figure, and
in fact is a conservative estimate of
what the battleship of the future
would have cost. Two battleships
year, over a period of 10 years, they
therefore assert, would have cost the
United States, including compound
interest $2,322,419,OS5.