Evening star., 1938-03-20

to size, Is the cost of an aircraft carrier.
The figure is Is to IS million for light
and heavy cruisers; four to five million
for modern destroyer; two to three
million for the modern submarine; go
thousand to 100 thousand dollars for a
plane. Beyond all this is the cost of de-
stroyer leaders. submarine tenders and
other auxiliarics.
But even this is not all. There is the
cost OF upkeep. That of battleship is
S2000,0oo annually. We must include the
cost OF increasing the number of officers
and enlisted men, and their retired pay.
There is also the big item of replace
ment, reconditioning and repair. So rapid
is the progress of aviation, for example,
that by the time a plane is built its de-
sign is already out of date. Suppose the
| new expansion program could be COM
pleted in six years and the present 1000
planes in the Navy and the additional
1000 should be renewed every two years.
The annual outlay would be about $780,
100000 year. This for peace prepared
ness. In war the estimated plane wastage
would be 25 per cent month
S750.O00.000 Navy Budget.
| Summed up. the annual total of keeping
up to the 5-53 ratio in face of the present
rival building programs would be an ad-
ditional s25O,oOoOOO year, making our
total naval budget $3.50. 100000
Since we have no distant bases, such
as Britain has, We have made a "long-
| legged Navy-ships with long steaming
| radius. We have heavy cruisers that can
| go far to deliver thwarting blow and
| meet anything except a battleship from
which they can run away to join our
| battle fleet. We have speedy light cruisers
| to protect our commerce in the distances
and hold off raiding light cruisers We
have destroyers to keep submarines from
| striking our commerce near or far from
home or laying mines in our ports. All
| serve to prevent raiding planes from
| bombing the cities on our long coast lines
The ol-burning era has given ships of a
potential enemy, as well as our own,
longer range. The long cruising radius
| of the modern submarines and the ever
increasing radius of the bombing plane
have required that the mobile outer wall
Of defense should be ready farther and
farther out at sea.
But, in case bombing planes should
manage to get past this coastal guard
what thena Just how much. damage
could they do? How should we meet
them?
Gas Principally Demoralizing.
We have read much about how the
people OF our cities would suffer the
agony of asphyxiation by gas The truth
Is that. so far as We know, gas is the
one weapon which has not been i'm
proved in deadliness in the last 20 years.
The same gases as in the World War
would be used. None of them Is fatal;
but they can demoralize a population
without gas masks.
But the bombers would also drop
incendiary shells, as we'll as high ex-
plosives to cut water mains, wreck trans
portation centers, interrupt bridge traffic
and put electric light and power plants
out of business
1t is the advance of the plane that
has brought the threat of gas and high
explosives nearer to our cities. The range
more OF bombs, is 1900 miles under full
load-600 miles out and 800 miles back;
or the full 1900 miles in a suicide pact
to get through to the goal without any
hope of returning to base. Our Army's
flying fortress" bombers travel at 235
miles an hour. Now the British have
come forward with flying boat that goes
800 miles an hour Thus. aviation keeps
advancing.
Against the bomber are the new anti
aircraft guns, which will have it in range
from a minute to two minutes as it
passes overhead at speed of four or five
miles minute. Against it also is the
pursuit plane-but today the pursuit
planes speed is less than that of the
bomber. Step up the speed of the pursuit
plane, then! That is exactly what we are
attempting. We are trying out new
fast pursuit plane which will drop bombs
on the bombers Of the enemy before the
latter are over their target.
An army of war must also have the
latest automatic rifles and the new anti
tank rifles, tanks to go with the infantry
advance and gun and pursuit plane pro.
lection of rear areas
Artillery Strengthened.
Not again will our Army have to wait,
as it did in the World War, relying until
the end upon allies to supply us with
artillery, before our own was ready in
quantity. That lesson has been kept in
mind. We have kept abreast of progress
with pilot models Of weapons and locked
ahead to their more prompt mass produc-
tion in Americas factories when war
comes or its threat is near. ..
Motorization on land keeps pace with
mechanization. It is no longer a case of
marching men to the front, but rushing
them on tires to the point where they
are needed. The light and medium artil-
lery of our National Guard is largely
motorized. We have one regular division
Of $4,000 men completely motorized with
1927 motor vehicles, including 263 motor
cycles-making . column 9 miles long
going at 40 miles an hour. The call is for
the motorizatlon of more divisions
! And the soldier behind the gun? He
is as hand-picked as the sailor. He must
be mentally and physically At. He must
survive the test of absolute loyalty to our
form Of government.
| Counting all needs and increased Fex-
penses, the additional annual Army ex-
pense may be set down as $4,000. 900.
This, added to the Nays s250,ooo, 900.