The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-07-13
NIPPON NAVY TO
EQUAL u. S. BY
1912. is CLAIM
Japan to Spend Millions in
Effort to Achieve
Parity Early.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
scripps-Houard Foreign Editor

BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
seripps-Howard Foreign Editor
WASHINGTON, July 13.-Japan
will reach factual naval equality
with the United States by the end
of 1912, if not before, if the present
building schedules, actual and con-
templated, are carried out by the
two countries.
Claude Swanson, Secretary Of the
Navy. has announced that the pol
icy of the United States will be to
live up TO the spirit Of the Wash
ington and London naval treaties,
even after their expiration at the
end Of 1886.
Under no circumstances will that
policy be changed unless this coun-
try is forced to do so by unreason-
able building activities on the part
Of other nations.
simultaneously, however. reports
have reached Washington that Nip
pom intends to intensity her effort
to achieve parity with the United
States. In anticipation, the Japa-
nese navys general staff, accord
ing to semi official sources, plans to
demand 100000 yen, the greatest
sum ever asked fer such purpose
In peacetime.
Japan Gets Running Start
Normally the yen is worth so
cents. Recently it has been below
par. But inside Japan, for all prac-
tical purposes-for wages and the
like--the yen still goes as far or
farther than the dollar over here.
# Japan intends to make race
of it, as she now seems bent on do
ing, she will have a running start
when zero hour is reached at mid
night, Dec. 81. 1886. Unless new
naval agreement is reached by the
major naval powers before that
time, the only limitation will be
each nations pocketbook.
At the end of 1886 Japan will
have afloat 772,437 tons of modern
fighting craft. That, for her, is
full treaty strength"
According to the present schedule,
the United States will have in COM
mission at that time GAL 900 tons
approximately 100000 tons less than
''treaty strength"
102 New Ships Authorized
On that date, according to these
figures. Japan will need less than
10000 tons to achieve parity.
Starting from scratch. Japan will
then be in a position to launch at
once an intensive building program
to cut this disparity down. The
United States, on the other hand,
will still face several years of build
ing before it catches up with
"treaty strength"
When President Roosevelt came
into office, he found the navy badly
run down. 1t was far behind the
10-10-7 ratio allowed this country,
Britain and Japan respectively, by
the treaties of Washington and
London.
Last year the Vinson-T rammel
bill authorized the building OF 1O2
vessels over a period of seven
years. In addition, the replace
ment of central warships was au-
thorized when permitted by treaty
that is to say, after 1936-pro-
vided no new agreement is reached
meantime.
Many Past Age Limit
Merely to replace obsolete and
average capital ships alone be-
tween 1886 and 1912 would tax
the resources of both our shipyards
end our treasury. On Jan. l, 1887,
seven of the existing Is battleships
will be over-age, according to the
20-year rule. The Arizona, Ar
kansas, Nevada. Oklahoma, Penn
sylvania. New York and Texas will
be due for replacement the mo-
ment the new year chimes for 1897
ring out. The other eight will be
due for retirement between that
time and 1912.
Capt. Gumpei Sekine, spokesman
for the navy at Toxic, indicated
yesterday that for several years to
come the japanese navy will de-
msnd in the neighborhood of the
T10 million yen to be asked in the
next budget.
Huge naval expenditures appear
inevitable throughout the world I'M
less there is new limitation agree
ment. Today there is no evidence
here, in London or in Toxic that
neM rnact ic nNnrn rntnnntnl.. lil-nl1r