Evening star., 1929-12-15

$4,000 100000 worth was carried In
American ships.
No merchant would let his ships, or
the goods carried in those ships, to sea
without insurance, but If war should
come the only insurance against its
risks is given by navy, and II the
Navy is to be the real insurance which
the country has the right to expect, 1t
must be powerful enough and pos
sesSed of ships of the type needed to
enable 1t to do its part. Failing this,
our merchant ships must stay at home,
tied up as in the days of Thomas JET
| ferSon'S embargo, while the useless
goods lie rotting in warehouses or on
the piers. Such a solution to the dam
gers of war Is unthinkable.
AS protectors of commerce cruisers
are the ideal type. and no other ships
will do as we'll. Large enough to keep
the seas in all weather, more heavily
gunned than armed merchant ships OF
the enemy, strong enough and fast
enough to hunt down and sink enemy
commerce raiders, and with long cruis-
ing radius and high speed, so that they
can convoy fleets of merchant ships or
patrol the ocean lanes of commerce.
they are designed with this very end
in view.
Cruisers Needed in Fleet.
These cruisers. too. are needed in
the fleet. A fleet. like an army on
land, needs its distant scouts to seek
information in spite of minor opposi-
ton, and its fast, light forces to carry
out or counter torpedo attack. BY no
vessels other than cruisers can this
work be done.
1t was in this very class of ship that
our Navy in 1921 found itself the weak
est. We had a fair number of old
armored cruisers, built in 1904 and
1905 but hopelesSly out of date when
viewed in the light of after-war condi-
tions. Eleven of these old vessels have
been kept on the lists, since 1t was
felt that in time of real need they
might we'll be better than nothing. OF
modern cruisers we possessed but 10.
fine, up-to-date ships of $500 tons, all
completed between 1928 and 1925. Even
these ships, however. are small and out
classed by the new type created by the
treaty. Do the people Of this country
realize that from that day to this the
United States has not completed ana
put in service a single cruiser, and
those 10 ships, designed and built dur
ing the war, with the 25-year-old ar
mored cruisers all the ships OF this type
we have now in service?
After many explanations and argu-
country and Congress were brought to
understand that we must build cruis-
erS of the type made necessary by the
treaty, and in 1924 the building OF eight
IL, ,000-ton cruisers was authorized. The
first two of this group of eight will be
completed in the course of the next few
months, but the last six will not be
completed until 1890 or 1881.
Realizing that this group OF eight
ships made only good start toward
the NavyS needs, an endeavor was
made in Congress in 1928 to authorize a
regular program of building of big
cruisers which would give the Navy the
minimum number needed to round out
its deficiencies in this type of ships
and would spread the building of these
ships over a period of years so that
construction would not be too concen-
trated upon the shipyards and new
ships would join the feet at regular
intervals.
New Cruisers Authorized.
After a year or more Of discussion,
Is new cruisers were authorized In
March, 1929, five to be started in 1929.
five in 1880 and five in 1881. Contracts
for two out of the first five were let,
but as construction of the other three
of this first group was about to be
started, the suggestion for a conference
on naval building was made by the
British prime minister, and in response
to this suggestion but two ships are at
present going forward. Future events
only will show how many OF these
cruisers will actually be completed for
the Navy.
During these years when our country
was being educated as to the Nays
needs for cruisers, England was build
ing cruisers, slowly but steadily, eacn
year a number being authorized. The
result of this program is that she has
now, completed and In service in her
navy, ten cruisers with S-inch guns.
eight of 10000 tons and two Of about
5000 tons, all started and finished since
the treaty, and she is in addition build
ing seven 10,000-ton cruisers more.
Similarly, Japan, with the coming OF
the treaty, began building 10000-ton
cruisers, and she now has eight OF these
ships completed or nearly completed.
In addition, recent press reports nave
stated that she is to build more cruisers
definitely of this same size and type
and a number Of other vessels which
may or may not be similar.
France and Italy have not been far
behind, and although their navies are
admittedly in a class below that OF
they have each completed two big cruis-
ers and two or three more are under
construction.
When the Washington treaty for
limitation of naval armament went into
effect the ordinary individual certainly
formed the opinion that competition IN
navies and naval building was ended,
! probably once and for all, and II he
remembered anything concrete 1t was
a $3.50 ratio which, he was led to be-
lieVe, represented the relative strengths
of the American, British and Japanese
nayies However, although very extern
sive building Of new ships has not taken
| place, 1t can be seen from the preceding
| that the field for a lively competition
| in building cruisers was left open and
a certain amount Of competition has
actually taken place, although our own
place in the competition has been we'll
| toward the rear.
Into this question came the subject
| of parity, brought up particularly in
| the Geneva Conference of 1927. AL
| though rather hopeleSsly outdistanced
! in this new naval race in cruisers, the
American delegates insisted that should
any agreement be made which would
limit cruiser building, we maintained
the right to have equal cruiser strength
with Great Britain, although we might
we'll never build up to such figure.
In spite of arguments that the naval
problems of the two countries were en-
tirely different, equality in strength be-
tween Great Britain and ourselves may
be taken as a basic point in any discus
sion of the future.
"Yardstick" Appears.
A complication was introduced into
the discussion when Great Britain saiC
that in her opinion 1O,O00-ton cruisers
were larger than needed for her pur-
poses and made a suggestion that future
building be limited to smaller sizes
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