Evening star., 1924-12-13
"Self-StyIed Experts" Talk
Without knowledge,
Report Says.
DECLARES $50 RATIO
OF TREATY IS HELD
Claims Money Has Been Available
All Along to Equip Battle
ship Florida.

there is no ground for alarm that
"our naval prestige is rapidly wan
ing"
"Self-styled experts and others who
cannot possibly be in position to
speak authoritatively," the report
said. seemingly, with little difficulty.
get into the public prints with ar
ticles depicting us as retrograding in
varying degrees, and the effect has
been to create quite generally the i'm
preston that our naval prestige is
rapidly waning. The committee does
not feel that the country need be
alarmed.
The sos. or treaty ratio, as to
tonnage and numbers. applies ex-
clusively to capital ships and to air
craft carriers of more than 10000
tons displacement. With the possible
exception of the Flori6l, no one can
say that as to capital ships the 5-5-S
does not prevail. The Navy Depart
ment reported to the House of Repre-
sentatives on May 81 last that our
treaty ratio had fallen from 500
to o-4-3 because of the impaired con-
dition of the boilers on certain of
our older battleships, a condition
which since has been remedied on all
but the Florida, and the money has
been available right along for plac-
ing the Florida in condition to go
into the battle line. 1t has not been
spent because the department felt
that 1t would be a waste of money If
later the vessel were converted from
a coal to an oil burner.
Qualifications to Statements.
when the Navy Department an
nounced that our treaty ratio had
fallen to 5-4-3 for the reason indicated,
1t had to assume, and assume only,
that the capital ships of the other
powers were wholly fit in all respects,
whereas 1t is only possible to gauge
relative conditions where there is a
free interchange Of information.
with respect to aircraft carriers.
our Government admittedly Is at dis
as it was when the con-
ference on the limitation Of naval
armament was concluded. We are
proceeding with the conversion OF
two battle cruisers into aircraft car
riers, permissible under the treaty,
and these will give US when COM
pleted a greater tonnage of carriers
of most recent design and capacity
than any of the other powers. Our
total carrier tonnage, however, still
will be below that of Great Britain.
The question is, since these vessels
are more or less of an experimental
character, evidenced by the many
changes that have been made as
the work progressed. whether or not
we should go ahead at this time with
additional carriers before these two
have been commissioned and tried
out.
Questions Authors knowledge.
"The naval ratio is a different meas
urement leading into channels so
broad and varied in their rami1cations
that only those who are in a position
to possess knowledge of every phase
of naval activity and who have ac-
cess, in the extent of its availability,
to data, widely diversified in Its scope,
touching foreign navies, programs and
policies, can speak at all authorita-
lively regarding naval ratios. The
committee, therefore, suggests that the
authorship of such reports be consid-
cred when forming an opinion.
"A bill has just passed the Senate
authorizing the modernization of our
capital ships to the extent that the
treaty permits, and also authorizing
the construction of eight 10.000-ton
cruisers. The bill reported today car
ries the money to commence two addi-
tional fleet submarines, and 1t carries
all that it will be practicable to ex-
pend during the ensuing fiscal year
for making repairs and effecting desir-
able improvements on vessels of the
fleet.
1.-THE program Of modernization Of
certain battleships and Of new con-
struction of cruisers and gunboats,
carried in the so-called moderniza-
tion bill, just passed by the Senate.
obviously should not be appropriated
for in advance Of budget estimates
and thorough hearings. 1t might be
added that the department Is advocat-
ing the commencement of four 10000
ton cruisers in addition to the eight
covered in the modernization bill.
I'm the meantime the committee
feels, looking at the situation from
many influencing angles, that there
need be no misgivings as to our naval
forces generally in an hour of need"