I T Taxpayers and nd Fleets i. i HE British admiralty appears to have THE clamped down dow at least a partial censorship reg regarding fleet movements The other night when Englishmen went vent to bed lying off P Port Portland rt- rt t- t land was a sizable number o of first class i war ar v ves vessels s- s sels els S of many classes When they got pp up pp in the morning they rubbed th their ir eyes took tooka a look out outU outto U to sea u b d them again g n and took another I look but not nota a fighting IS ship was to be descried Nobody Would say where they had gone Later news w was s' s that the Mediterranean fleet had been J largely gelt added q d to in the vicinity of Malta Mystery Mystery Mystery Mys Mys- tery was wa permitted to remain with respect to the defense of home waters vaters also as to wh what i nav naval forces might be available for any need in inthe inthe the North sea l Notwithstanding the springing of hope Tues Tues- day oay as guarded statements ts were were made mad to the Associated Press Press' by the Italian delegation at t tl l' l Geneva Geneva hinting Minting that Italy mi might ht be willing t to negotiate a settlement of the Ethiopia dispute the naval situation has become clearly evid evident nt points to certain in changes in British policy poll pol- pol l z icy iy with respect to sea power powe Most Englishmen English English- glish- glish men men keep closer tab on their navy than do dot t other othe peoples They theirs ir r realize alize that if hostilities hostilities hos hos- should come com Italy has a present superiority superiority superiority in th the Mediterranean It has been sea power power that for three centuries has made nide the British empire well nigh invulnerable Brita Britain n for or or Jong rong has has' maintained a Med Mediterranean Mediterranean te fleet fee which would d' d b be stronger than the forces an any two powers vers could assemble there along the trade route to India But Italy has stolen a march on John Bull Only by ad adding Ung the home fleet to the Mediterranean forc forces s could England overwhelm il duces duce's there The precariousness ss of this would alarm every Brit Briton n. n Nearly 50 years ago Lord Salisbury s set t up tip r as S a cardinal cardin l point of British policy the maintenance maintenance nance of friendly relations with Italy be because ause of her strategic position across the e trade trad routes pleading through ugh th the Suez canal The increasing sing v sea ea a power of Italy for that reason did not worry f 5 empire statesmen But the Ethiopian situation has has changed changed that Italy is now a potential enemy at least of Great Britain That points to the certainty whether war wart warI t I comes or Europe wobbly peace persists that a anew anew new na naval al building program will quickly be under way for England She will not permit hers herself her her- s self lf to be caught twice in the same fix This may mayto V to touch ch our own interest more more closely than we might a at first suspect We Ve nave have contended for naval parity with Great Britain and the last limitations on naval armaments gave it to us on paper Our new v appropriations provide for con con- s 's suction to make that parity more nearly ac acS ac- ac S The question rises irises then then will the United States seek still greater reater strength on the sea to t match the hew new British program This puts new light on ratios It also summons summons sum- sum mons ys us to look closely into our our foreign policy Is it likely likey to demand that because Britain's J e estimates call fo for more ships to uphold h her r policies policies poli poli- cies we also alst must have more mare ore to uphold policies which mu must t be reshaped simply because Italy puts more tonnage afloat in the Mediterranean To ro do so would cost the United States hundreds of millions of dollars The answer r will largely revolve resolve around our own interpretation of our ours s responsibilities as a good neighbor It will bea be iia 8 a great occasion for champions of nationalism and internationalism to air their views Taxpayers Taxpayers Tax Tax- payers will also have an n excel excellent ent occasion to i reflect t that t they ey ar are the o ones es who Yi will have to pay the bills sills Lu