THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1908. THE AMERICAN NAVY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9125, 26 June 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1908. THE AMERICAN NAVY.

Mr Pitman Pulsifer, Secretary of the United States Senate Committae on Naval AlFaii\3,has finished the compilation of the Naval Year Boole, which shows that the United States navy is second in strength, being eclipsed only by that of Great Britain. This agreea with the deduction made by British experts. The book places Franco third, Germany lourth, and Japan fifth. During the last 24 years the United States has expended more than £61,800,000 to attain its present position. This sum includes

the cost of ships already commis- r sioned, and those which are under con- ' struetion. Mr Puhifer presents a table J showing the annual oust of mainten- ' ance of each type of warship. The ' average figures are:—Battleship, £127,300; armoured cruiser, £151,000; protected cruiser, £110,600; gunboat, £23,00u; torpedo-boat dej stroyer, £15,400; torpedo-boat, £10,300; submarine, £5,290. The personnel of tlu American navy, according to the book, falls below in numbers the personnel of England, France, Germany, and Japan. The appropriation for the naval establishment in 1885 was £2,996,000, while for the current year the amount was £19,791,000. The largest appropriation for a single year was in 1906, when the amount was £26,400,000. The number of petty officers and enlisted men in 1885 was 8,250, and in

1907 it was 38,500. The tables which Mr Pulsifar ha 3 prepaid show the following with respect to the naval strength of the Powers:—-Great Britain, 56 battleships, 821,390 Ions; United States, 29 battleships, with 406,146 tonnage; Fiance, 27 battleships, with 368,461 tonnage; Germany, 28 battleships, with 358,461 tonnage; Japan, 13 battleships, with 191,498 tonnage. The total tonnage of all lighting vessels of theae nations is given as: Gteafc Britain, 1,821,610; United States, 771,758; France, 836,112; Germany, 680,182; Japan, 451,320. The total number of ships in the English navy \a given a3 454, in the United State 3 navy 168, in the French navy 508, i.. the German navy 210. in the Japanese navy 194. The reason for the excess of ships in the French navy is found in the fact that she has 271 torpedoboats and 99 submarines, while England has only 71 torpedo-boats and 48 ', submarines, and the United States has only 32 torpedo-boats and 19 submarines.