The Omaha guide., 1934-02-03
Page
TO WORKERS FOR
WORLD DISARMAMENT
Dear Friends:

w --A-% ~ -~N5 ~--@ M
gress this week is the most formida-
bic threat to enduring peace On the
Pacific shat has occurred in many
years
You have read in the January News
Bulletin which was sent out Oh Jan
uary 18th The open letter W the Pres
ident protesting against this billion
dollar naval program and urging him
to adhere To rs good neighborn pol
ley il ctr relations with japan I en-
close j reprint Of this letter
A comparison of our navy with
those Of Great Britain and Japan
shows that the big navy advocates
are grossly misrepresenting the sit
uation. The following figures have
been compiled BY William +. Stone Of
the Foreign Policy Association from
Navy Department statements. First,
the United States fleet today il not
inferior to the British fleet and is
considerably above that OF Japan. On
January I, 1884, on the basis of ships
actually built, the comparative
strength Of the three great navies
was as follows:
United States, ships built 372, No.
tons 1,O38,66O; British Empire, ships
built 293, No. tons 1~,174,339; Japan,
ships built 221, No. tons 75s,261.
Secondly, a larger proportion Of the
American fleet is made up Of techni-
cally over-age vessels, especially in
the categories Of d~estroyers and sub
marines. To improve our relative po-
sition BY 1856 the United States is
now building, partly from the regular
appropriations and partly with $685.
000,0 900 borrowed from the Public
Works Fund, 81 ships totaIing 222,-
06O tons as compared with AZ ships of
123,785 tons for Great Britain, and
AZ ships Of 1892 tons for Japan.
You will observe that we are building
big ships while the other nations are
building small ones. The results are
shown by the following table, COM
piled by the United States Navy De-
partmcnt, showing ships nOw built
and projected that will be under-age
in 1896:
United States, ships built l13, No.
tons 9S8,52O; British Empire, ships
built 16.. No tons oo9.395 Japan,
ships built 12S. No. tors - 37O.
The Vinson bill author'zss HE con
structicn III addition NC HOG 90 tons
Of destroyers, $4,000 tons n subma-
rines and an aircraft carrie and in
addition to ths replacement all the
battleships rller y ggncsa- clause
which says:
provided That the A dent Of
the United States is by au-
thorized to replace, BY vessels Of
modern design and construction,
vessels in the Navy in the cate
gories limited by the treaties
signed at Washington, February
6, 1922, and at London, April %,
1880, when their replacement is
permitted by the said treaties"
This would add approximately one
thousand million dollars G,OO0,O00,-
OOO) to the navy bill and give the
United States a navy, the upkeep and
maintenance of which will, according
to the Navy Department spokesman,
cost approximately $500, 900, 900 an
nually.
It viii also give the United States
the greatest fleet in the world stimu-
late naval building in Japan and
Great Britain and increase the ten
sion on the Pacific to a highly danger
u point Moreover, with such fat
contracts awaiting them If the 1885
Naval Conference fails, Is there n
doubt as to the efforts that the ship
builders with their Shearers will
make to wreck that Conference?
These r the essential facts with
respect to the Vinson naval bill. It's
magnitude is out Of all reason. 1t is
being rushed through Congress be-
fore the hard-pressed taxpayers, the
educators who are seeing our schools
close from lack of funds, the churches
and the organized peace forces can
express the tremendous opposition
that exists in this country to 50 out
rageous a measure.
+, Regardless of what happens to this
bill this week, will you express to the
President Immediately your opposi-
ton to it? viii you ask your friends
who agree with you to do the same?
viii you get a resolution adopted in
your club protesting against the
whole spirit and purpose Of the bill?
VIII you urge upon the President that
he carry the good neighbor7 policy
through the whole field Of our for
eign relations? 1t is not for u
country, which initiated the Kellogg
Pact, return to the fatal era Of the
"big stick"