BRITAIN'S PART.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16156, 9 March 1918, Page 9

BRITAIN'S PART.

WAR EXPENDITURE. OVER £6,000,000 DAILY. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received March Bth, 11.50 p.m.) LONDON, March 7. In the House of Commons, Mr Bonar Law (Chancellor of tho Exchequer), moving a credit of £600,000,000, pointed out that it was tho largest single credit. He anticipated an r increase in the daily expenditure, but the required sum would last till the end of June. The daily average expenditure from December Ist to February 9th was £6,107,000. The expenditure for the Army and Navy munitions exceeded the Budget estimate by £664,000 daily. Loans to the Allies and the Dominions exceeded the Budget estimate by £339,000 daily, and miscellaneous expenditure by £242,000 daily. LORD JELLICOE'S DISMISSAL. DEBATED IN HOUSE OF COMMONS. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON. March 7. In the House of Commons, Mr R. C. Lambert, criticising Lord Jollicoe's romoval, asked if Sir Edward Carson ■was consulted as a member of tho War Cabinet. ! Sir Edward Carson interjected: "Certainly not!" Sir Edward Carson subsequently stated. "Over and over again, while I was First Lord of tho Admiralty, pressure was put on me to remove certain officers, including Lord Jellicoc, but I resistorl the pressure." Sir Edward Carson denouncod the malignant Press attacks'upon officers. The country should understand, he said, that such attacks weakened the whole Administration. It was impossible to expect men like Lord Jellicoe to do their duties under the attacks of some wretched rag of a newspaper. He did not know the reason of Lord Jollicoe's dismissal, but 99 per cent-, of the Fleet had absolute confidence in him. He personally regarded the dismissal as a national calamity. Lord Jellicoo was the greatest living sailor, and it would be an outrage if he remained unemployed. Tho First Lord of the .Admiraltv was flouting not only Lord Jellicoo but the Navy. Admiral Sir Henry Meux said the attacks on Lord Jellicoo were due to sheer ignorance. Sir Eric Geddes (First Lord of the Admiralty), in reply, said he did his best to stop the Pros sattacks. He regretted if he had conveyed tho Government's decision to Lord Jcllicoe in such a way a? to hurt liis feelings. Still, he honed to make use of Lord ! Jollicoe's great gifts. j Mr Bonar Law (Chancellor of the [ Exchequer) later intervened in tho de- ! bate. He said he had the greatest i admiration of Lord Jellicoe's ability. : but the nosition of the First Sea Lord was vital to the public safety. The ; First Lord was responsible for those j serving under him. In this case Sir ; Erie Geddes informed Mr Lloyd Georee j of the proposal to dismiss Lord Jelli- | coe, and asked for the Prime Minister's approval. "I chanced to be in the room,'' he said, "and I was also con-

I suited. Sir Edward Carson wonld j have been also if ho had been in the building." Sir Edward Carson: I would hare given vi>ry good advice. Mr Bonar Law continued that it- was possible that Sir Edward Carson was richt and Sir Eric Gedd&s wrong, but while Sir Erie Geddes retained the position of First Loro his advico alone must be followed. j -Mr R. McKonna: Sir Eric Geddes i said it was t.bc Government's decision, i Sir Erie Geddes: When Mr Lloyd J George accented my advice, I thought j it became the Government's decision. Mr Bonar Law. resuming, said Sir j Eric Geddes found the task of dismissing Lord Jelliroo so disagreeable that l:e said he would Gladly got other employment. Whether right or wrong. Sir Eric Geddes believed ho was acting in the best interests of the country. He added: Mr Llovd Georaje assured me privately that lie had nothing to do with the Press campaign against Lord ' Je]licoo. " i OFTPIT OF STANDARD SHIPS. | LONDON, March 7. Br. T. J. Miß'iwmara (Financial Secretary to tho Admiralty) lias nnuouneed that three national shipyards have been established for tho assembling of standard ships. He could p'-oniisa? 34 ships, which h<? iiope.'i would all r»e completed in 12 months. Tho first keel i would be Jaid in April, and the first I ship launched in October. The Government's anticipation?; rc- ! •garding the numbers of men to he re- j leased from the Army for shipbuilding ; had not yet been realised. In tho shipping section of the Chamber of Commerce, Sir John Reeves Ellerman, controlling owner of the Ellorman, City, Hall, and Bucknall lines, moved a resolution, which was carried, regretting the unsatisfactory progress in commercial shipbuilding, du.-» to taking the initiative out of the hands of private owners. The number of standard ships produced in a year, ho declared, did not equal tho sinkings of a fortnight. GERMAN COMMENT OX LORD LANSDOWNE'S LETTER. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association,) Admiralty per Wireless Press. AMSTERDAM, March 7. A German message states:— ''The German newspapers describe Lord I.ansdowne's letter as a most important document, giving evidence that England is becoming reasonable. '•Tho Fan-Germans urge that tho Government, in view of Britain's apparent submissivenos6, should not wait for Germany's coming victory in the West before commencing pourparlers with En eland." (United Service.) AMSTERDAM, March 7. German papers seoffingly criticised Lord Lansdowne's suggestions, and attributed them to increased English nervousness, arising from tho RussianRoumanian collapse, the enormous Western concentration, and the uncertainty of beating Germany anywhere. LEAGUE OF NATIOXS PROPOSAL. (Reuter's Telegrams.) (Received March Bth, 7.40 p.m.) LONDON, March. 7. In tho House of Lord Robert Cecil (Under-Secretary for Foreign Affaiis), stated' that the Government was carefully examining proposals for a League of Nationß to enforce peace after tho war. Doubtless tho Allies were acting similarly. THE ALIEN PROBLEM: (Received March Bth, 7.40 p.m.) LONDON, March 7. In the House of Commons, replying to a 1 suggestion from Mr Hunt that aliens should bo excluded from tho docks in view of the statement that the sinking of the Glenart Castle -was duo to spiel in the Bristol Channel ports communicating tho vessel's movements to German submarines. Mr W. Brace (Under-Secretary to tho Home Office) ' said that aliens wore already excluded from the docks, and alien sailors on Allied or neutral ships were not allowed to land unless from friendly ports, and then only under strict conditions. EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) ( Received March Bth, 11.50 p.m.) LONDON, March. 7. In the House of Commons, Mr J. Fitz Alan Hope (Lord of the Treasury) stated that ho believed that the agreement with the Turkish Government regarding the exchange of prisoners would be ratified. GOVERNMENT AND THE PRESS. (Received March Sth, 11.50 p.m.) LONDON, March 7. In the House of Commons, Mr Bonar Law said that he hoped to make a geneial statement, after Easter, of the Government's policy regarding the carry-ing-out of tho resolutions of the Paris Economic Conference in connexion with the Imports and Exports Bill. Replying to Mr Austen Chamberlain, Mr Bonar Law announced that the Premier would make a statement on Monday on tho Government's connexion with the Press, when the matter could b(. debated The Premier, he added, would doubtless refer to Admiral Lord Jeilicoe's removal. COMBING-OUT OF MINERS. .Received March Bth, 10.25 p.m.) LONDON. March 7. A ballot taken by the Bristol miners resulted in favpur of the Government's proposal to comb out 50.000 miners for the Army.