GERMAN NAVAL BUDGET

Hokitika Guardian, 20 February 1928, Page 2

GERMAN NAVAL BUDGET

ASTOUNDING FIGURES. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.) BERLIN, Feb. 18. That Germany is preparing a great naval surprise for the world, .is the authoritative opinion based oil astounding figures contained in the 1928 naval budget. These involve the mystery of millions sterling for which no adequate explanation is forthcoming. These disclosures are made by the Berliner Tagehlatt, a newspaper of. sound opinion and usually, Well-in-formed on naval matters. Some idea of the amazing figures may be gathered from the fact that the British man-o’-war Nelson, of 35.000 tons, the most powerful ship afloat, cost Britain seven millions, whereas a a. ten thousand ton tier projected by Germany is provisionally estimated at four millions. The new cruisers are costing the enormous rate of £2OO per ton. exclusive of guns. It is interesting to note that ordinary merchantmen cost from £lO to £ls per ton and liners de luxe, such as the “Majestic,” cost £SO per ton. More startling still is the cost of new torpedoers, restricted by the Treaty to the displacement of 800 tons. Twelve of these are being constructed, costing £215 per ton. This figure is the more remarkable in view of the fact that they arc unarmoured, and of simpler construction than battleships. The only possible inference is that the .boats are unique and con to in some mysterious feature of greatest interest to foreign naval constructors. Equally mysterious is the prodigious cost of the guns and torpedo tubes with which they are being armed. The Berliner Tagehlatt recalls that before the war a 5000 tonnor complete cost half a million ; yet for one new cruiser three-quarters of a million is being appropriated for' armaments alone. A further example is given. Six destroyers with three four inch guns each costing £25,000 per gun. In addition the Naval Department is pressing for heavy guns for the new 10,000 ton cruiser to cost the fabulous figure of £300,000 for each gun. Another example of these mysterious figures is that for the new cruiser Karlsruhe, the original estimate was £1,125,000, it has now grown to £2,025.000. The Berlin authorities do not offer an explanation beyond asserting that the cost of construction in Germany is not appreciably more costly than elsewhere. The Daily Telegraph’s naval correspondent also features the figures, in which he points out that Germany has the most expensive navy in the world. The German naval personnel of 15,000. with nine battleships and cruisers, and several torpedoers, together with six small coast defence detachments, has a budget of £11.000,000. The Italian naval personnel of 15.000. with three times as many ships, a powerful aviation service and 'elaborate- coastal defence had a budget of £10,000,000. The French navy with a personnel of 57,000 and with ships and aviation equivalent to the Italian, has a budget of £12.000.000. It. is also, pointed out that Italy and France with the same, lavishness as Germany, would be spending yearly tbirtv-tliree millions and forty millions respectively, while a similar scale of cost to the British. American and Japanese would baffle calculation. The correspondent adds that those figures are certain to ho discussed, and undeniably lend colour to reports in circulation in Europe regarding developments by German scientists of mysterious new naval weapons of unprecedented power and efficiency. Whether or not this is a true explanation remains to be seen.