New Britain herald., 1929-10-03
LAPS TALKING
 LARGER NAVY
New Ratio Will Be Asked t
 Is Thought

Tokyo, Oct 5 tPl-With a pro gram of eight 1O,000-ton cruisers. each capable of 33 knots and armed with ten S-inch guns, more than half completed, high naval authori- ties of Japan are publicly discussing the possibility that the government will have to lay down more fighting ships of this class in order to keep pace with the United States anI Great Britain.
 There has been no thought Of suspending or abandoning work on the eight new ships four Of which are already afloat with the others due to take to the water within twelve months,
 The public and sar'j-pubIic utter ances of naraI officers, from Ad- miral Takarabe, minister of marine. down, indicate too Japan's intention of insisting at the next naval con ference on a ratio Of 1o-10-7 in the allotment of auxiliary warcraft ton mage to England, American and this country. Japan asked for that ratio for capital ships at tho Wash tngton conference but finally accrpt- ed 5-5-3. The higher ratio for auNil- iary craft was informally advanced at the three power conference in Geneva in 1927.
 The talk gave rise to recent newspaper reports that a supple mentary program, calling for four additional 10000 tonnars 1t first class destroyers and q number Of smaller dcstroycrs, submarines gun boats and oilers, had been decided upon. The navy department later said that no announcement WouM be made at this time. lest it cmbar- rass the MacDonald-Dawe conver- sations in London. It was remarked however, that no outright denial of the reports was forthcoming.
 Naval officers anI publicists are giving the Japanes press surveys designed to support the claim for the 10-1O-7 ratio, asserting that the programs which America and Brit ain have in hand will give each of these powers between g50.000 and 30O,OO0 tons of modern cruisers of more than 1000 tons, whereas Japan by the completion of her eight Nachi class ships will have a corresponding tonnage of only 10S.- 400, that is, eight 10.000-ton ships and four of the Furutaka class of HOO tons each. Hence, it is ar gued, that unless the two leading sea powers agree to reduce drasti- cally their cruiser fleets. Japan must build several more 10000 ton fighters to keep within hailing dis tance.
 Japan, it is authoritatively indi- cated, hopes for such actual reduc- tion by Britain and America, thus making any increase in the present Japanese cruiser strength unneces- sary.
 Of the eight new cruisers two. the Nachi, from which the class takes its name, and the Myoko are in commission. Two others, the Haguro and Ashigara are un- dergoing trials. The Tako and Atago are on the ways at the naval dockyards in Yokosuka and Kure and are due for launching this year The Chokai is in the hands of the Mitsubishi yards at NagasaN and the Maya is being built at Kobe, Both should take the water in 1930
 The Nachi and her three junior sisters are to form part of the Sec ond Fleet, based on I<ure, whither the MVoko has just steamed from Yokosuka after being commis- stoned. On her way to the western naval base she stopped for two days in Ise Bay to permit her Of ficers to worship at the Great Shrine of the Sun Goddess at Ise. the highest temple of the national cult, Shinto. Each Of the principal units of the navy is thus dedicated to the service of the nation.
 Each or the eight Nachi-class cruisers is named for mountain of rich religious and historical as- sociatiOn, and aboard each is ln- stalled miniature Shinto shrine enclosing some relic from the prin- cipal temple Of the mountain which gives the ycssr Its name. The Myoko, for example, is named for Mount Myoko in central Japan. whither thousands Of pilgrims flock each summer.
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