COSTLY SHIPS

Southland Times, Issue 18825, 19 May 1920, Page 7

COSTLY SHIPS

iNcnrAS'.s duk T'.> xi::vv' ni-:sin.\s. The arm.:. cost. of ihe Hood has (says The Navy > pa 'rise-1 rhe public far more than ary ,’:••• ail of her d-sign. An estimated ,-xr ■s■ r■ ii>: nr; of ihb.llbf.ddb, without gun.-, and ordnance spires, came as a. thunderclap. Lhir pre-war expeudiuin.' on any cue ship for li;e Navy barely exceedei 1 fchWU.UO). I: may be well, therefore, to point mp that i: i- not o' much that the ct-sign of • Hood is expem-ave, as that the co.-r. of ship'a;.hi'ng has mcreasetl vastly since I'Pt-t. Ale v timires fur the cost of building cargo .-tempers in riccnt years, ar.J at the- pr.-.-er:!- tone, may to put the matter in its true proportions. The npuri-s* it: this fab!" are frotn ,-taiisti-us comJ ;!eli lay .tle-.-rs ’-V. Kell'>ck and ('■)., She lT"k-.-r< ’o tlm Admiralty marshal; L'.-t cef I ’ i; ; I-1; ;• jc a 7b:'o-t.'li (.Argo fPoUIT. loi!.! OD.IIiX) ’a • , .t l.min p.p; go, nob ie! 1 I .lob I -IACPiI is lb 12b. nun hem l-,',o<io I’d 17 ls7„bi)i) IP is lsu,.b()(J IPI'J ‘July i J'J.j.OUt) The co-t. therefore, has advanced nearly riven dl in t’.ve years. Had the increase in v. ar-itip budding been at a simiilP.PPO.PliP. At rip- .o.rnr- me \vc have {.. face great increases in th- m: ~f :.U type> of warshi; a T ; . • tmw light eriti.-.i r Hawkins, of ii,7.b'.> ias, c*-s! ahem t l,b7it.iii;p, a> co:;:p:.red v.i'h ' in- Ivut, of similar tonnage, that ro.-: £7oo,hud. 'l'hs < kileuttu. of 4,1‘J0 tons, cost a’ouut ‘JSbO.btJO, as compared with the Brim-!, of -I.MJU tons, which co.-t b3b-h'Jod. I lie '."ore the figures are Studied the more evident it is that shipbuilding programmes of the near future will have to be conuned to the most ne-ecs.-arv ship - only. .end it, is beyond ques turn that the taxpayer--. faced with a bill for hG.bUPe' 1 -",) for one vessel, wall be a very potent tactor ;n determining the at■'■it'tdc of the authorities towards the mammoth warship. blore perhaps even than technical consideration, the deadweight of public opposition may lead to an abandonment of the growth In design.