The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-08-03
FiqureS on the
Leading NdUieS

reproduce the figures here in full.
Great Brtan-2s5 warships total tonnage, 1,246,39S
These include IS battleshps aircraft carriers Is heavy
cruisers 40 light 1856 destroyers SO submarines
Under constructions batehipS, aircraft carriers
light cruisers 46 destroyers, 10 submarines
United states-325 ships, 1,oS333o tonS-BUT these
figures include wartime ships 214loo TONS regarded as
average Our Navy baeships, aircraft carriers
II heavy cruisers 10 light cruisers 1877 destroyers "a sub
marines constructions batteships, aircraft car
riers heavy cruiser light cruisers, SIS deSroyers II
submarines. ,.,,,
Japan-2oo ships 7456o4 TONS including Dattlesnlps
aircraft carriers, ~ heavy cruisers 20 light cruisers 90
destroyer 81 submarines Under constructions AIRCRAFT
carriers light cruisers, IA destroyers submarines NO
information available fveyar naval building program
begun April l Of this year.
France-62 ships 69346 tons; including oaCEeshES'
aircraft carrier heavy cruisers light cruisers SO de-
stroyers submarines Under CONSTRUCTIONS oatIeSpS'
light cruisers % deetroyers II submarines
Ialy-2o6 ships, 396683 tons including oatteSnlps'
heavy cruisers 10 light 1902 desroyers, 70 SUBJ
marines. Under CONSTRUCTIONS baeshlpS Agh CRUISERS
SO destroyers 81 submarines
cermany-77 ships 1882 tons; including battle
ships light cruisers, % destroyers 36 submarines oa
constructions baleships, aircraft carriers nea"
cruisers destroyers, II submarines
To taxpavers aware that one batteshlp nowadays
costs unwards of and that costs around
half-billion year merely to maintain the Navy we
have. those figures can't but be depressing
It would be several thousand times as depressing,
though if lacking an adequate Navy, we had been SUBJ
iugated by some other nation and were now paying
+rhnte to that nation And the armament race is not
our fault. Blame must be chiefly assigned to-
JAPAN
which refused this year to the naval limitation
treaty that for some years kept naval building within
bounds Japan said it intended to build all the battle
ships it pleased, big as it saw fit
TDO ShiDs and mounted with guns Of any num-
FOr One bers and sizes it fancied. So there is
nothing for the rest of the seagoing
powers to do especially the United States and Great
Britain but to hold up their ends in the naval race.
Which suggests that good may come out of
the Japan-China war; horrible as it is. If it drains
enough money out of Japan, Japan may become willing
to talk more reasonably about limiting ornaments all
around and the overburdened taxpayers of the leading
naval powers may then get little rest
Until and unless Japan will agree to general arms
limitation the only safe policy can pursue is that
of staying right in the naval with JAPAN and stay
ing always far ahead.
Speaking of national defense, we see by the papers
that
DIRIGIBLE CONSTRUCTION
is once more being urged our Navy Department.
Commander Charles E. Rosendahl, U. S. n, outstand-
ing American dirig ble expert and we understand a
uuuuumuuuvn .~~ ~ very fine fellow personally,
- wants Congress to author
"a izze six-year $2OO0O,O0O
III dirgible-building program.