Pearl Harbour has docks that will hold the biggest warships afloat, a rst-class air base, fuel depots and what not, and big guns galore. In 1922 the American Government began building Pearl Harbour into a base capable of accommodating the whole navy, at a cost of some $43,000,000. Since then nearly every year has seen fresh improvements being made. The yearly cost is round $2,800,000. It is reported that a dock taking 45,000 ton warships is projected. A. base subsidiary to Pearl Harbour is being constructed at another bay on the same island of Oahu.
The strategic importance of Mid way and Wake Islands became noticeable when they were made ports of call for the American trans-Pacific it service, in 1995. Both are equipped as naval air bases, and the im-Provement of Midway at a cost of $5,350,000 is planned. It is only 2,000] miles distant from Tokyo, and it} would be easy to carry out air Bombing raids on Japan from this Island, It is also a relay point for the trans-Pacific cable.
From Hawaii southward to Ameri can Samoa, which has a naval base with wireless station and fuel and munitions depots, stretch Johnston, Howland, Jarvis, Baker, Canton, Enderby and other islands available '2g bases, forming a strategic chain that certainly will play an important part in future operations of the American navy in the Pacife.
Nearest to Japan in the north are the Aleutian Islands, and the American Government is stretching itself to. strengthen their fortifications. Dutch Harbour, near the eastern extremity of the chain, and Kiska, hear the western extremity, have been well-known for their import nee, and recently Kodiak has been added as a base.
According to experts, if hostilities should break out between Japan and the United States, the American navy wil try to attack the northeastern coast of Japan from these points as bases.
Then at the southern tip of Alaska Is Sitka, near to Canada, (the close neighbour which the United States is Dractically pledged to protect.) The American navy proposes to spend $8,750,000 and. $2,900,000 respectively fon its bases at Kodiak and Sitka.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.