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Show Advocates Full Navy. In his first annual report as Secretary Sec-retary of the Navy Secretary Swan-son Swan-son urges that the American Navy be built and maintained "second to none." In making his plea the Secretary called attention to the fact that the United States had attempted at-tempted to secure reduction of armament arm-ament but without success. "Sinr-o tVio WrtrlH War tha TTnit- .111. I.w.u 1 . U&4t WUW ed States has been a leader in the disarmament movement," Swan-son Swan-son said. "We still continue most earnestly to strive for a reduction of armament among the powers by agreement on a relative basis. The time has come, however, when we can no longer afford to lead in disarmament by example. Other powers have not followed our example, ex-ample, with the result that the United States now find's its relative rela-tive naval strength 6eriously impaired." im-paired." The weakened position of the American Navy, comparative to the British and Japanese treaty strengths, is correctly interpreted by Secretary Swanson as jeopardizing jeopar-dizing the cause of peace. Japan-j ese militarists have been contem-1 plating the 'possibility at a war with America without dismay a3 long as the American Government failed to build its navy up to the strength allowed this nation by international treaties. A Japanese war against the United States will no, come as long as the American Navy is definitely superior to that of Japan sufficiently stronger to offset the lack of fortified island! bases in the western Pacific. There is much to be said for the! plea of Secretary Swanson that a1 regular and orderly plan of construction con-struction be adopted for the navy. ; Our navy has been built too much ni the past by spasmodic jumps rather than by a consistent and methodical procedure. The hot-round hot-round out the navy properly and then-cold building policy does not dees not balance the various types of ships rationally. Secretary Swanson is correct in urging an orderly building program. "Our sporadic building " programs have not only proved very costly to the nation but they have left us far under our treaty strength in up- to-date ships," he said. "As an example, ex-ample, at the end of this year all but four of our destroyers will be over-age. The benefits of a progressive pro-gressive building program would be many. Its economic effect would be nation-wide. It would provide steady stea-dy employment for thousands oi workmen in that most highly specialized spe-cialized industry, ship-building, both in government and in government gov-ernment yards. It would provide steady employment in all industries indust-ries allied with shipbuilding. Most important of all, it would permit us at greatly reduced cost to the taxpayers to maintain in a navy of modern ships second to none, as provided for by the Naval Treaties." |
