The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-09-19
United States Will Continue Her Naval
 Building Program
Despite Protest of Great Britain and the Approach of Conference on Disarmament This Nation Will Adhere to PIan-Not Near Naval Ratio as Yet

four 10000 ton cruisers. Tho Brit ish, 1t Is known, hope to promote an agreement at the 1885 naval conference to lower the tonnage level in both the cruiser and bat tleship classes. They favor aboli- ton of cruisers heavier that about 1000 tons.
 The British are understood to feel that if the United States builds 10000 ton cruisers up to treaty limits Git could build 2g) it would be very difficult for England at the 1885 conference, to agree to build no more ships of this class, in which the U. $. navy would be pre- dominant.
 Hence, the British are under stood to desire that the United States devote tho 10000 tons of cruiser tonnage projected under the new program to ships smaller that 10000 tons This desire conflicts with the belief of tho navy general board that the 10,000-ton class Is best adapted to America's naval needs.
 The Angle-American debate over light and heavy cruisers goes back to the ilfated Geneva naval con- ference of 1927. Because of Brit ish inslstence on confining treaty cruisers to small tonnage Cor Amer- lean insistenee on large unit ton. mage, depending on the viewpoinD the conference failed. Three years of bad feeling followed. This was believed by compromiSe at the London naval conference in 1030.
 There, at first, the United States insisted on the right to build 21 10,000.ton, S-ineh gun cruisers. Because America has few naval bases, it's experts insisted that it must have large ships with q wide cruising range. Britain, with faf- world, preferred to devote It's Der of smaller ships which could cover more territory and better protect British trade routes.
 The British felt they could not ignore the superior com bat value of the 10,000.ton, s.inch gun class. For that reason they were unwill. ing 10 agree that each nation be assigned total tonnage for cruis. CTS. devoting that tonnage to what. ever size ships below 10000 tons 1t might prefer.
 Finally, this compromise was agreed upon:
 The United States way to build IS (rather than 21) 10,000.ton 8. inch gun, ships with total tonnage Of 1S0,000, Britain was to build 1b ships, totaling 14G.s0 tons.
 To balance American prepond' eranee in the mightier class, Brit. ain was allowed q greater tonnage (102,200 tons to Ameriea's f42,600) in "class D" cruisers. ships mount. in 6.1 guns. However, America was given the right to build its full "elass D" tonnage in 10.000.ton ships, provided they did not mount guns of more than G.1 inch ealiber.
 America, having built or pro. jeeted its full quota of the "elass AZ ships in the new program, is beginning to build 10,000.ton "elass B" ships. The British. ap- parently sec in this more the death of their hopes for lowering the limit on cruiser tonnage when the London naval treaty Is rewrit. ten in 1885.
 Contracts for the four. "elass T" cruisers in tho new American pro- gram were awarded recently by Secretary of tho Navy Swanson. Two are to be built by the New York shipbuildins Co.,. Camden. N. J., one by the New York navy yard and one by the PhilidlphIa navy yard!