The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-14
|. The Augmentation of Armaments
and the Development of War
Technics.
By D. MARETZKY (Moscow.)

The imperialists are consciously
heading for a new war. The finale
Of the first imperialist war was Ver-
sailles. But real peace was not con-
Guided at Versailles nor could it have
been, for the sole reason that from
the hour of its birth it was only a
new armed peace. The feverish
arming after the war is taking place
quite openly; it is quite plain that mill
tarism is more powerful at the present
time than it was in pre-war days,
and still there are pacifist fools and
idiots who pirate about disarmament
and strive to see in the present reality
tendencies towards peace on bourge-
ois basis.
It might be well to mention few
facts and figures to illustrate how
the imperialists are preparing the
war and what kind of war it is they
are leading us into.
The official military budgets in the
most important states France. Great
Britain Italy, German, the United
States of North America, Japan
amounted in the year 1913 TO 1400
million dollars; in the year 1926 they
amounted to c140.5 million dollars,
an increase of nearly 70 per cent.
the respective figures for the ndi
vidIa, countries are as follows,
France G913l 34S and (1926I BIOS;
Great Britain A. and COS; Il ny 500
ant 1925; Germany 345S and leG,
United States 1881 and $500, japan
so ard POS !. he changed relations
CT one budget to another show an
interesting feature: the ec.ii1mic
hcgemony Of the United States in the
worli las !roaght with It the military
hegemJay.
War Power Increasing.
The present footing Of the land
forces is far in excess of pre-war
dimensions. According to the data
gathered by Comrade Woroschilyov
for the Fourth Soviet Congress of
the Soviet Union, the land forces of
the four world powers ENGLAND,
France, Italy and the United States
Of North America) total at the pres
ent time 1,S21,00 against 1,413,000
men in 1918.
From year to year the naval forces
of the imperialist states are also
growing. The Washington agree
ment of 1922 by no means put an
end to, nor even "curtailed", but only
regulated, the construction of dread
noughts. In addition, the agreement
applied merely to battleships and air.
craft carriers. The construction of
cruisers, destroyers and submarines
was not limited and has, in fact, de-
yeloped greatly since 1922. The pres
ent tonnage of the battleships of the
United States of North America ag-
gregates 525,850 tons, of Great
Britain 580,450; Japan 1920;
France 194,554; Italy 1850.
The Aircraft Race.
As far as the building of aircraft
carriers is concerned, it must be stated
that Washington fcurtailed" their con-
struction in such manner that the
Powers will have to "work" very hard
in order to reach the norm" prescrib-
ed. The United States of North
America has built 1900 tons of air.
craft carriers, while it is Washing
tons "task" to bring this tonnage up
to $4,000; England has 1920 tons,
and according to Washington it should
have $4,000; Japan has $500, while
the agreement provides for an in
crease up to $1,000 tons; SO far France
and Italy do not possess any aircraft
carriers; according to the Washington
agreement they together may build
10000 tons.
Ships of other types Submarines