Milford chronicle., 1927-09-02
NATIONAL AFFAIRS

ma ALVANEAA - - ~---~N
Since the Geneva conference on
the limitation of naval armaments
commenced the British experts to-
gether with the British newspapers
have been capitalizing Great Brit
aims foreign trade and the need for
keeping open the English lines OF
communication from the colonies
and. other parts of the world. These
British claims seem to have had
some effect even on certain Amerl-
can newspapers.
IT is true of course. that foreign
commerce is the life blood oil Great
britain and that she needs a size
able navy to protect it. But there
is no indication that Great Britain
and the United States will ever go
tn war and Britain has no other
serious naval rival. 1t IS little
difficult for the average American
therefore to see why we should ac-
cent what would amount to cruiser
inferiority in order to protect Great
Britain against a menace which ad-
mittedly does not exist.
In the meantime perhaps we as IN
dividuals have not thought enough
about our own commerce and our
own requirements in case OF war.
Rut fortunately the American ex-
perts have forgotten. In saying
something about the Importance OF
our own commerce recently Rear
Admiral Jones declared:
Excluding trade with the Philip
mines and that on the Greta Lakes
our aggregate domestic sea-borne
commerce is close to 17O,OOO,OOO
cargo tons per annum. 1t is surpris-
ing to know that this domestic ocean
going trade of the United States is
greater by fifty per cent than the
total foreign trade of Great Britain.
The blocking of the great traffic
lanes along our sea coast and those
leading to the United States from
over the seas would unquestonably
so dislocate the business of the en-
tire country and bring such hard
times upon us that it would mean
practical industrial starvation on
scale beyond comparison.
There is undoubtedly a great deal
in what Admiral Jones has to say.
Perhaps our foreign trade is not so
vital to us as Great Britain's foreign
trade is to her, but it should not be
forgotten that we have an ocean
Transported domestic trade which IS
half again as great as England's
entire foreign trade. And in case OF
war, if our ships were driven OIL the
ocean by a superior fleet we would
be seriously embarrassed II not
handicapped by lack of rubber and
other materials which we get from
abroad. So that after all cruiser
strength is no more vital to Great
Britain than to the United States.
Nor will thinking Americans be
fooled by the assertion that our gov
ernment in insisting on cruisers of
good tonnage and cruisers with
eight inch guns are thinking often
sively rather than defensively. If an
eight inch gun in an offensive ms
trument of war a six inch gun is not
entirely inoffensive. With number
of small cruisers with six inch guns
equal to those of the British Uncle
Sam would be seriously handicapped
for several reasons. In the first
place the radius of small cruisers
is limited. This makes no differ
ence to John Bull because he has
naval bases all over the world al
which small cruisers can be replen-
ished.
Then again the establishment Of
a six inch gun limit would give the
British decided advantage, accord.
ing to our naval authorities. Fol
the British have a great fleet o.
merchant vessels which they coulC
equip with guns of this caliber anC
so in short time, in case of wor
have a fleet of armed cruisers fal
outnumbering anything we coulC
put on the seas. Uncle Sam has ;
merchant fleet too, and it is hOpeC
by all good Americans that in du,
time it will be as large as the Brit
ish fleet. But that time is still dis
tant and in the meantime we ough
to be thankful that our American
naval experts are not being misle,
, as to real situation. Of course W
don't want any more war and tn
WaV Tn avoid II ic IN bauo q fIaot q