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Show Navy Building Program Is Outlined WASHINGTON. The navy building program for the coming year comprises eight cruisers, four river gunboats and three cruiser submarines. Thly announcement, calling for only eight cruisers, created surprise In the ranks of naval observers, because of the known opinion of Secretary Denby that the fleet Is markedly deficient In the cruiser class. Considering cruisers less than ten years old, the United States would be represented In any international ratio by "zero," while Great Britain has 214,000 tons and Japan 51,000, It was pointed out. Computing Com-puting vessels now building, however, the United States has 75,000 tons, Great Britain 249,000 find Japnn 107,-000 107,-000 tons. The program will bo submitted to the budget bureau and to congress at the coming session. The four gunboats will be for the Chlneso river patrol. Recent inspection of the old vessels now engaged in that patrol, Secretary Denby said, Indicated thnt they must be replaced ns quickly ns possible. . Itoport on this year's war games stressed the lack of fast scouts for the navy. This need was placed secohd only to the deficiencies of the Panamu canal defenses. Technical advisers of the Navy department were understood to have agreed that seventeen 10,000-ton 10,000-ton cruisers would be necessary to malntnln a 5-5 ratio with Japan, and nineteen would be needod If a 5-3 ratio was to be sought, as planned. In submarines of less than 1,000 tons the United .States Is ahead of both Great Britain and Japan, but a majority major-ity of the American craft, notably the "S" boats, have never reached the operating elliclency which would permit per-mit their being considered for other than coast defense. As to submarines of more than one thousand tons, the United States has three built and three building; Great Britain, nine In service and two building, build-ing, and Japan, none In service and twenty-five building. After the World war all of the first power admiralties agreed that naval submerslbles should be of more than one thousand tons, in order to operate out of touch with their nearest base. It has been predicted that Mr. Denby Den-by would make some recommendation as to aircraft carrier tonnage, of which the treaty permits the United States and Great Britain to maintain 135,000 tons and Japan 81,000 tons. The Langley of 12,700 tons Is the sole representative rep-resentative of the type In the United States navy, and the addition of the Lexington and Saratoga, being converted con-verted from battle cruisers, will raise such tonnage to 72,000 tons. The British Brit-ish navy has 44,000 tons In service, and 38,500 tons on the ways. Japan has one ship of about ten thousand tons In service, two under construction and Is converting the battle cruisers Aniagl and Akagl. |