Show I Startling Naval I Statistics I IThe The parliaments of nations for tor man many y months have resounded with speeches ches s attempting to analyze tho the warship sp p ss situation In f Europe hut but the real facts fact s can bo better grasped from the recent recen t tJ figures given hen out by 11 the various go bureaus of ot statistics Ihus Thus during 1908 mid and fin early In 1009 1909 9 the total number numb r of or tons In war ves yes sell sels Bels absolutely launched amounted t to ta Q Just about tons Including war wa r craft of ot every class The fhe precise precis 0 amount was waa given out as 59 ton tons I This weight was WIlS distributed In about abou t twenty wenty vessels esse of which ten great battleships bat bat- I absorbed d I tons makin making the aVera average e a over o tons ton e Germany H leads In this naval construction tion lon with four tour superb vessels In lag ing tons und line uno armore armored d cruiser of I tons I England lagged behind with merely merel y two of ot tons each h. h I In I Austria put n a ton battleship I 1 In In n tl tra water This Is significant espe as Austria has haft suddenly I eap announced an an- flounced a n naval construction program m ma md J Jot of ot new and startling size siT Austria Austri a announces four tour new Dreadnoughts an and d It it Is d b by European experts 1 In n I diplomacy that these hese ships are nrc y ny being subsidized h by the tho ho Kaisers Kaiser's guy gov OVI OV- I Thus Thule Germany and Austria a which are close allies are suspected o of f playing Into each others other's hand an and ond d England still tends rinds herself herselt attempting dg de g to live up to the historic pre eminence e of r a n British nav navy equal to that of or an any y I two I European nations The United States launched on only 1 tw two o I first class battleships the Michigan an and d South uth Carolina each about ton to dt ds s In n weight and so 80 In the tho Dreadnought t cl class clans of fighting ships Brazil has hRS one class battleship th the Inn Minas tons to that i Is almost almott completed Italy ht cI- cI three hrco armored eminent cruisers of or u a i fair weight ant md and armament but bul that country has lost ost most of ot its naval Importance w while Spain and Hula are relatively put ut out of ot the warship business because be be- cause e of ot their respective conflicts with wit II the till United States Stotel and Japan Battleship construction costs on an average Just about to the ton and ana this woul would tend to Indicate te that on new construction alone the bl big nations Dent spent about during 1903 The cost of tit repairs repair of maintenance etc eta but not for power and ami shells ammunition ammunition am- am or ordinance e. e and other expenses ex- ex lensen must have hove run to three timer time this m amount All told toM the tho navies navle of the the- ne wor world during 1908 must have taken aken away from tho the pockets pocket and ancl mouths of ot human toilers toller close to a LL an Lillian llon n dollars dollars' worth North of or values alun |