THE NATIONS' NAVIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 14 August 1907, Page 4

THE NATIONS' NAVIES.

The ''Statesman's Year Book for 11)1)7," which has just been issued, contains some very interesting tables and diagrams abutting die strength of the navies of the various Powers. The editor lias abandoned tbe old uietbod of coinparing tbe navies by tbe number of shins or tbe extent of tounago, which was manifestly unsatisfactory, because it often made a couple of discarded vessels appear superior to the Dreadnought, aim nas employed a point system, all .ships being reduced to a common denominator, and their relative value being expressed in this way. The Dreadnought is taken as the unit, and vessels like the King Edward and tbe inllexible represented as .S, the London and Black Prince as .0, the .Majestic ami Kenan as .45, and so on down to the old monitors as .(J5. The lirst. diagram deals with battleships, and shows that at the present time Great Britain is easily, in front with a strength equal to 20 units. The United States conies next with 14, and France and Germany follow with 11 and 10 respectively. At the beginning of last year both Prance and tiermany were ahead of the United States, but in the last two years the States nave more than tumbled their strength in battleships. Tested by the twoPower standard Great Britain is still tour points ahead of any possible combination, but it is estimated that by the end of l'Jlu the United Stale 3 and Prance together will have reached 41 units, and Great Britain, only 30. Prance will have approached within one unit of the States, and Germany will be live units behind her neighbor. The editor, however, adds a significant note that except the French, none of the ships shown as completed in 1010 are yet to hand. The second diagram shows that in armored cruisers Great Britain at present stands at 9 nnits, with the two-Power standard at less than 8. and that by the end of 11)10 the Mother Country will have reached nearly 15, with Japan and the United States, the strongest twoPower combination, just exceeding 11. In Dreadnoughts Great Britain has the sea io herself, but by the end of the year, when she will have three, Japan will have only one vessel of this type. Germany and the United States will have no Dreadnoughts alloat till 100!), and Prance none till a year later, but by the end of 1010 it is anticipated that the two-Power standard will have reached 10, with a contribution of (1 from France, while Great Britain will have nine. On the whole the figures and diagrams are l less alarming than some that have been published by the Xavy League. The Mother Country still appears to have the means of supporting her claim to Ire Mistress of the Sea.