Evening star., 1933-09-02
A tabilizing Factor.

Secretary Swanson of the Navy has
signed contracts for the last seventeen
| ships which are to be constructed from
the S23s 900, 900 allocated to the Navy
! by the Public Works Administration
| The comment of Secretary Swanson
when he completed the signing of the
contracts carries the hope that this is
the beginning Of treaty Maya Navy
built to the limits of the London naval
treaty and second to none" Millions
of Americans will echo this hope put
into words by the Secretary Of the Navy.
This country too long has been allowed
to disregard the needs of national de-
fense. At the Washington conference.
out Of which grew the first agreement
among the nations to limit naval arma-
ments, the United States was allotted
naval strength equal to that of Great
Britain-second to none. The agree
ment applied only to capital ships, in
cluding aircraft carriers. The ratio as
it affected the three great naval powers
was 5-5-3. with the United States and
Great Britain each designated 5 and
Japan 3. At the London conference,
treaty limits for all categories of naval
vessels were established. Still the
United States was accorded naval
strength equal to that of Britain. Japan
was given an increasing measure Of
strength as compared to this country
and Great Britain.
Either the demands Of the United
States at these conferences for Navy
equal to that of Great Britain and sec
ond to none in the world were just or
they were not. Without doubt Ameri-
cans will agree to their justice. These
demands were put forward in the name
of adequate national defense. Failure
to build a treaty Navy constitutes either
an impeachment of the Government of
the United States which insisted upon
equal strength with Great Britain or a
harsh criticism of the Congress and the
Executive which have failed to give
this country the Navy which was con-
sidered necessary to protect its people
and their interests.
Because the United States is now
proposing to build up its Navy it is
charged in some quarters that this
country is precipitating naval race.
It is doing nothing Of the kind. Grea-
Britain and Japan, more consistent
than has been the United States, have
built from year to year until thcy are
within easy striking distance o. their
full naval strength under the treaties
of Washington and London. II they so
ahead now and bring their navies to
treaty strength there can be no just
criticism. Great Britain has lacked but
fifty ships of full treaty strength-many
of them of the smaller Classes OF naval
yessels-and Japan has been short only
seven ships, while the United States
dropped one hundred and twenty-one
ships below its quota and will still be
short of it by eighty five when the pres
ent program has been completed. This
country has fast been dropping into the
position of a third-rate naval power.
Not only has this country been per-
mitted to drift along without its treaty
strength in vessels, but the personnel
of the Navy has been SO reduced that
American naval vessels have been
manned with from seventy to seventy
five per cent Of their full crews. 10
man the new vessels it will require ap-
proximately 73O additional officers and
20 900 enlisted men. Naval officers ana
enlisted men are not trained in day
or a week. The Congress. under the
leadership Of the President, may be ex-
pected to take care of this matter when
it meets again.
A full knowledge that the United
States was ready and prepared to pro-
tect itself would be stabilizing factor
if the war clouds gather. Indeed, 1t
would be a stabilizing factor at any
time, and would serve to prevent the.
gathering Of war clouds in the future. :