IS BRITAIN READY FOR WAR?

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1587, 17 June 1887, Page 3

IS BRITAIN READY FOR WAR?

Many colonies whom I ("AngloAustralian") have lately met have been greatly exercised} ingtheir minds by the remarkable and itartling paper which holds the place of honor m the Aprii number of the 'National Review.' The subject is England's unreadiness for war, and the writer closely and most carefully orltlolaeß our exiuting military and naval forces. There fs nothing sensational or forced about the artiole, which is Brattling only by reason of the true buaine. s ability displayed and by virtue of the ogly facts cited, and thoae which, for obviously politic taaaono, at© only indicated and not particularly defined. The contention of the >riter is that, first of all. England might easily be invaded, and that with fair prospeot cf seizing London, and attention is oalled to the fact that none of our strictly home-defending forces have any field artillery at ell, Everybody In the least conversant w \h the present conditions of contemporary warfare knows well th«fc without field artiliory no army can posßglbly faoe an enemy provided wilh even ■ vary moderate supply of good guns, and, as Is well known, every Continental Power has, ever slnoe the Franco-German war, paid special attention to this, the decisive orin, m all battloa on a grand scale, It Is not bo much, however, with the I Und as with (be ooean aspect of thii very

remarkable question that I have here to deal. ' We - are depending on onr great Ironclads for tho true defence of the country a-d for that of the Colonies, yet it is a fact that m all .the. lndian waters thero are no meanß for refitting ships disabled by the stress of aolicn As the writer remarks, we do know well enough that m any coming naval encounter the victorious vessels would most probably be greatly damaged, and yet they would be needed, supposing victory lay with us, to be alert as ever, and yot where are they to be refi'ted 1 Then again we are told: "Veßßela m tropical seas soon lose speed from the growth of life, vegetabla jn 1 animal, on the'r hulls, and must be docked and cleaned occasionally. No means for the purpose eXl&t, and this is one of the curious pieces of carelessness permitted by a nation whiob place 3 blintl confidence m Its naval power." Surely this is a serious mat tor. Then, again, we are told that our present position m the Mediterranean waters it one of oomplete unpreparodnO3B. There is not a garrison there properly equipped for siege. It is of no use to play the ostrich part and hide the national head m tho sand. I firmly believe myself that the writer Is quite within the truth when he says ; "The. plans of evetj fortrer*, the position of every goo, the amount of ammunition, coals, and (stores are carefully asoet Joined from time to time by foreign Ints ligenoe Departments, and are docketed ready for use." (Several oolonists — men who are acquainted with strategy, and understand, too, the materiel side of modern warfare — have aißurcd me that Australia as a whole — and bearicg In mind the enormous difference m population -> is really better prepared to meet and frustrate attack than Kng'ind : s at Homo ! Tbt's {« a gr&va afc^iamaat, I know, but I foac terribly tbit it 1« only too true. The gravity of euch a st te of things as that diaaloßed by the 'Fationa 1 Bavlew' cannot well be over-rated. Obviously, it affects not only England within the Home bbbb, if I may so oall them, bat it Bffeots — m a very eerious way, tDo — the many greater Englanda lying m the seas far beyond- Any great disaster to this country at Home would sen! a terrible shook through the British Empire, and however certain It might t9 that ultimately British endurance wonld sqrvive and win at last, it ii appalling to oont Jnplate tho fearful oommerolrl losses that would form a part of the price to b j paid,