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VOL. 39. CLEVELAND, JANUARY 28, 1909. NEW YORK No. 4 THE TWO-POWER STANDARD. Considerable controversy has arisen in England recently as to. whether the two-power naval scheme which has been announced as the policy to be pursued is designed to apply to the United. States. When Mr. Asquith, the prime minister, made a statement in the house of commons recently, saying that the government accepted the two-power standard of naval strength to mean a_ preponderance of 10 per cent more than the com- bined strength in capital ships of the two next strongest powers, there was some attempt to suggest that the dec- laration was aimed at the United States and Germany and that there- fore the new British naval program would be based on the activity of these two countries and not on that of Germany and France. The situation is made somewhat clearer when it is understood that of vessels embodying the all-big-gun principle Great Britain has _ six launched and two ordered, making a total of 14; Germany has four launched and five ordered, a total of nine; France has six ordered and none launched, while the United States has three launched and three r- dered. It will be seen from these figures that the United States and France have building an _ identical number of "capital'? ships and there- fore it is of no moment whether the British government takes the com- bined strength of Germany and France or of Germany and the United States as the basis of its two-power standard. An additional reason for not includ- ing the United States may be found in the well-founded anticipation that the French construction of capital ships in the next few years will be on a higher scale than that of the United States. In America it is gen- erally believed that as last year, con- gress will authorize the laying down of only two capital ships in view of the deficit which is already in view. The president has supported the pro- gram of four ships, as was the case 12 months ago, but this is believed to be on the principle sanctioned by the president of putting forward the idea and that Congress will not be likely to accede to. it. On the other side French technical newspapers announce that the new minister of marine in Paris is pre- paring a program of six new armored ships of the largest type, for which the first credits will be asked largely this year. This is based on the fact that next year Germany will lay down four more capital ships, thus raising her to 13 or more--twice the number in hand in France. ° In the circumstances, if the British standard were based on Germany and 'the United States, it would be lower than the one devised, as in the past, on the activity*of Germany and France. The two-power naval scheme has given great dissatisfaction to the Rad- ican group in... England and it is believed that they have been successful in producing a qualification of the premier's policy, inasmuch as at a. recent meeting they passed the following resolution: "That this meeting of signatories to the memorial on expenditure on armaments presented in July last to the prime minister has heard with much satisfaction that his recent answer in regard to the two-power standard did not contemplate or involve any new de- parture in policy, or the inclusion of any new factor to swell our ship build- ing program; welcomes the information that he will take an early opportunity of making a full statement on the sub- ject; and trusts that he will then make it clear that the government does not intend any departure from the policy that fixes our naval strength by refer- ence not to any combination, but to a reasonable probable combination of pow- ers against us." It is said that the prime minister has privately approved of this resolution, and that he intends to make a public statement in harmony with the correct- ed definition of the two-power stand- ard which is contained in it. - The facts in the case are that on Nov. 12, in the house of commons, Mr. © Asquith defined the two-power standard accepted by the government to be a pre- ponderance of 10 per cent over the com- bined strengths in capital ships of the two next strongest. powers; however, on Nov. 23, Mr. Asquith declared that his statement early in the year--that the standard which was to be maintained was one which would give Great Brit- ain complete command of the sea against any reasonably possible combi- nation of powers--was identical in meaning and effect with his statement of Nov. 12. By introducing the words "reasonable, probable combination of two powers," an attempt seems to have been made to qualify the premier's acceptance of the "two next strongest powers." . ft ° The Seaford Marine Railway Co., Sea- ford, Del., has completed its new ship -yard and on Jan. 12 made the first test haul on its new marine railway dry dock. The vessel hauled was the schooner J. R. P. Moore, which is un- dergoing extensive repairs. The rail- way is of the Crandall type which, with the modern wood working machinery, makes the Seaford plant a capacious one for repairs.