BOOM IN DREADNOUGHTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 7 June 1907, Page 4

BOOM IN DREADNOUGHTS.

The boom iu Dreadnoughts combines. Tlio design mid construction of lit- moilsi»r battleship, first ol' :i now oi'dji- of ships, by tin- iiriii-h Admiralty hfs if wo are to believe tin- statements published in 111-- English ],i i"->, piow.l a ,i,ag-

liilieent stroke of business Tor the, comitry. From the business point ahuie, the Dreadnought, it is stated, has paid tor her-

self many times over in the orders for battleships which she has hroug at from foreign Powers. According to (he Daily Miiil. P.rai.il and the Argentine have either ordered or arc about to order hi England baUle.-.hips to the value of some CS.ouu.oou. ail of the Dreadnought typo, with improvements. Chili will also sooner or later place orders for some of the

.new type in England. ISiil (he biggest battleship of all is to be built in England for Japan. It was supposed three years ago, when battleships and armored cruisers ol large size were first laid down in Japan, lh.it all future vessels for the Japanese navy would be constructed at home. The Japanese Admiralty, however has a full programme in the Japanes» yards, on.l as it wants ships badly it has derided ~, have recourse to England. I! is slated by one writer that a Japanese commission is now on its way to

England lo conclude a conlract witii one of the British linns for the construc-lion of the largest battleship in the world, displacing about 21.000 tons. The cost of this vessel will be about .€2,2.>0,000. and her armaments will probably be something surprising. The following figures will show the. rapid increase in the size of battleships from the date, in 1005 when the Admiralty gave the world the lead and established the prestige of British naval construction:—

Dreadnought (British) .. .. 17,000 Tenieraire (British)- 18,500 Saehsen (fJerman) .. .... .. 18.700 Pacificator (U.S.A.) .. .. .. 20,000 New Japanese ship 21,000 There can be little doubt that within 1 he nest few years the size of balleships will rise to 30,000 tons, or one-fourth less than the new Cunarders.