LONDON, Jan. 16, 1911 (UP) - While the press of the world is shouting for peace and Senator Root and his colleagues are working out how to spend Andrew Carnegie's $10,000,000 peace fund, figures obtained from the British naval authorities to-day show that 1911 will break all records for battleship launchings and naval activity.
These figures show that every nine days, from Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, a new dreadnaught will take the water in some part of the globe. In other words 36 dreadnaughts will be launched this year, or only two less than the total number already afloat as the result of five years' building.
In addition to this innumerable small cruisers, torpedo boats, destroyers, submarines, etc., will be launched by the big powers. Great Britain alone will send 61 of such smaller craft into the water. Of the dreadnaughts, Great Britain easily leads the list with 11 to be launched this year. Feb. 1 the 82,500 ton Thunderer will leave the slips at Blackwell just outside London and from then on there will be a regular succession of big splashes.
Germany comes second in naval activity and will launch seven dreadnaughts during the year. The United States will launch three, in addition to the Arkansas, which slipped down the ways Saturday; Russia four, France two, Argentina two, Chile two, Japan two, and Italy, Austria, Brazil, and Spain one each.
Altogether, it is stated, seventy dreadnaughts and cruisers with tonnage over 1,500,000 and valued at more than $700,000,000 are now under construction throughout the world. Great Britain has 250,000 tons on the builders' stocks and a tonnage of 128,000 launched and nearing completion. Germany has 150,000 tonnage building and 125,000 fitting out. France is building 46,000 tons and fitting out 110,000, and the United States is building 80,000 tons and fitting out 70,000 tons.
