THE WORLD'S NAVAL PROGRESS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 13 December 1901, Page 4

THE WORLD'S NAVAL PROGRESS.

Captain D. C. Sigsbee, chief of the United States Office of Naval Intelligence, has made public the Bureau's annual publication, entitled "Notes on Naval Progress," which sets forth in a comprehensive way the advance that has been made in naval work among the foreign navies. A noteworthy statement is that the new German battle-fleet will be practically complete when the vessels laid down in 1905 are completed, instead of 1906 as formerly proposed. Vessels laid down after 1905 will either be for foreign service or the non-active fleet. The subject of wireless telegraphy, as bearing on naval progress l , is treated at length (a Washington cable says), and it is stated that great progress has been made with this new means of communication abroad during the past year, practically in increasing the distance over which messages can be sent and in providing to guard against confusion where messages cross one another. It is shown that the British, French, German, Japanese, Bussian, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish navies have adopted wireless telegraphy to a greater or leas extent. To give an idea of the fighting strength of the seven principal navies of the world, a table is submitted showing the following total tonnage of ships built, building, and to be built:—England, 1,766,855 ; France, 781,065 ; Bussia, 552,545; United States, 507,494; Germany, 561,482 ; Italy 322,707; Japan 251,498. Naval apropriation3 for the present fiscal year are stated as follows :—England, 149,705,620d01, an increase of over 10,000,000d0l as compared with last year; France, 63,244,658d01; Bussia, 50,005,297 dol, an increase of over 5,000,000dol; Germany, 46,822,712d01; Italy, 23,703.595 dol; Japan, 18.555,633d01; and Spain, 3,860,000d01, to be devoted almost exclusively to shipbuilding.