The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-01


81 whole 1ship sub
sidy effort. I
find no dispo-
WILLIAM HARD sition here in
official circles to question Great
sBritain'S need of q superior total
tonnage of all sorts of merchant
ships put together. It is thorough
:ly realized here that Great Britain
Sis a small island continuously
obliged to import enormous quan-
titles not only Of food-stuffs, but
also Of numerous other raw ma
terials in order to supply not only
daily nourishment, but also the
means of a daily livelihood to- a
crowded industrial population.
This Government is not aspiring
10 fill every sea of the world with
IN American merchant ship main
tanned there for American ostenta.
ton to match every British mer-
chant ship maintained there for
British necessity. The American
Government realizes the difference
between the American total sea
needs and British total sea needs.
When, however, the existing Ameri-
can merchant marine is compared
with. the existing British merchant
marine, not in total but by, classes
OF ships. a certain most n1enacing
naval faet-menacing to the United
Sates-is at once revealed.
This fact has TO. do with ships of
large size and of great speed. Such.
ships do not carry the worlds basic
foodstuffs and heavy, raw manu-
sacturing materials. They are dis
patch boats for passengers and for.
express service" cargoes in times
az peace and they are naval and
military auxiharfes for troops and
for troop supplies In times of war.
The disparity between British ships
OF this sort and American ships of
this sort is crushing.
According to "Lloyd's''- which is
the great British standard world
authority on merchant marine mat
ters-the total number of British
ships Of more than $4,000 gross tons
apiece is fifty-one, while the total
number Of American ships of more
than that tonnage is twelve. That
~ the difference between the two
merchant marines in number of
large shrips. 1t is a difference
which becomes overwhelmingly and
fatally crushing when ships of the
very largest existing size are con-
eidered. Among such ships-ships
exceeding $4,000 gross tons apiece
Britain has seven and the United
States has one.
Turning from the question of size
70 the question of speed, our author
tiles again find themselves exposed
20 the danger of a disastrous naval
and military handicap. The total
number of British merchant sfiips
capable of making more than six
teen knots an hour is 1856. The
total number Of American merchant
ships capable of making that speed
is forty-f1ve. And again the Ameri-
can handicap is increased in pro-
portion as the comparison is carried
forward to reach and touch the
very best boats. Among +iIiners"
making more than eighteen, knots
an hour the British have thirty
two and we have five, and out of
our. five there is only one which
today is fit for trans-oceanic service
and is actually doing trans-oceanic
service.
What this difference In the
capacity for speed might mean to
US at critical moment will become
still further apparent when the
speeds OF Britain's actual fighting
ships are compared with the
speeds of ours. Not one of our
battleships makes more than twenty.
one knots. Not one of the British
battleships makes less than twenty
one. knots. Five of them make be-
tween twenty-five and twenty-three.
Five or them make twenty-five.
And four of them make more than
thirty. These last are called battle
cruisers" and if they ever started TO
cruise around our battle fleet it is
obvious that they would not have
much trouble doing it.
Add now the final fact that among
Tight cruisers boats of
relatively small size, but of ton ex
press speed-the British have some
fifty of the first class. while we have
none in being and only ten in pros
pect. Speed is the essence of naval
warfare. In speed-whether of naval
ships or of large merchant ships,
whether of ships entirely dedicated
TO lighting or of ships destined TO be
enlisted for fighting in war time
we are so inferior to the British that
the State Departments constantly
reiterated five-five ratio is a scream.
ing mockery of the facts. The State
Department has certain sort of
partial five-fiVe radio down on paper.
The Navy Department and the Ship.
ping Board are many knolS from
having it on the sea.
President Harding proposes to &C
quire some of it by means of a sub
sidy. 1t is not for moment be
lieved by anybody that this subsidy
would be aimed at destroying Brit
aims supremacy in total merchant
tonnage. 1t is hoped. however, by
the friends of the subsidy that il
would promote the building and op
Grating of certain types of merchant
ships peculiarly needed by any great
world mower and peculiarly lacked