LIMITATION OF ARMAMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 9, 5 October 1907, Page 4

LIMITATION OF ARMAMENTS.

Portsmouth, the great naval centre, very keenly criticises the Government proposals at the Hague Conference, naval people generally look-. ing upon them with something akin to amusement. One service man, ■ whose opinion is entitled to respect, openly laughed. at the idea of submitting our annual programme for tho approval of the other nations before wo commence to build ships. "It would," ho remarked, "be. equivalent to exposing one's hand of cards before commencing to play. As ■it is, foreign Governments aro allowed to know far too much, of our naval policy and, of our resources and intentions., Probably most of them know more actually than our own taxpayers, and even our own ■members of Parliament, who aro met with 'bluffing' answers to questions on matters which are well known to thoso who may possibly 'one day bo our foes." A second naval man expressed the view that if anything came of tho declaration it would put naval strength ontirely out of the question. "Wo hold command of tho sea," ho romarked, "and it is necessary for our' oxistenco as an Empire to hold it, in order to protect our commerce and to maintain, communications with our widely scattered colonies. Are wo to approach Powers that are possibly jealous of what we have won so dearly and . ask their kind permission to continue t° exist?" Another man, lately connected i with tho-Civil Branch of the Admiralty, pointed out what a grave danger there is in the proposal of our voluntarily giving any. or all of the Powers an opportunity of soriously and effectually checking tho work of our great dockyards and building establishments owned by private contractors who' undortako naval work. ' We hold it to he our national duty to maintain the two-Power standard. Aro wo to assume that all the nations represented at tho Haguo Conference admit the justice of our claim? Everything seems to mo to hiiiTC upon that." The opinions of the " handy man" :of the lower deck aro so. emphatically expressed that they do. not lend thmsclves. to publication. A THREATENED LOCK-OUT. The trouble between the Boilermakers' Society and tho Employers' Federation' was brought about by a strike on July 22 by caulkers employed at tho Walker-on-Tync yard of Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. Tlicy objected to apprentice platers doing certain work. This, 'the employers assert, was a violation of tho procedure usually followed when they and the men arc at. variance, and, moreover, an infringement of a special agreement respecting apprentices, into which the Boilermakers' Society (to which tho cralkovs belong) entered in 1901. According to this, an apprentice may be enmlovcd as tho employer deems discreet, "on. new or old work, on time or .pieo, with journeymen or other apprentices. ■ As to tho other point, the masters say that the proper and the ordinary eourso to bo followed when is a grievance is for the men's society to negotiate, first with tho local Emplovers' Association, and, if a settlement is not reached, with tho Ship'building Employers' Federation. To precipitately striko, say the employers, is .wrong.' In tho present instance, Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth, and Co. offered, if tho men would rcsumo work, to negotiate about what were considered to be grievances. The men, howaver, held out, and last week an intimation was given them that if they wcro obdurj ato beyond tho I*4th, lock out notices applying to all members of tho .Boilermakers' Society, in' establishments covered bv the federation, and taking effect on the 24th, would bo posted. These notices wore issued on Saturday, and the shipbuilding' industry is," therefore, faced with a national lock out. Tho cable has Dinco announced the settlement of this dispute. ARSENAL REDUCTIONS. Thousands attended- a Sunday meeting at Woolwich convened in connection with the reductions at tho Arsenal. A resolution was adopted calling on the Government to reverse the policy of reducing the employees at the ordnance factories to a minimum of 8000. Alderman Broughton, . in moving the resolution, said that the SOOO minimum would bo mado. up of -1000 boys, and quoted the Chief Superintendent of Ordinance Factories as saying that Woolwich Arsenal was not sufficiently staffed with SOOO. Mr. Pete Cumin', M.P., pointed out that he was once himself a worker .in tho Arsenal. Tho Government should be move humanitarian than private employers, and should not proceed on mere economical lines. As to tho private employers whom the Government werfl supporting,, as they did not give trade union rates of pay tho Government were simply encouraging blacklegs. Why should tho Arsonal bo confined to the. niaUing of war material ? Why should the Government not tender for tho equipment ■ of the ships of private companies ? Whv should not thoy make the post office motor-cars? Because the members of the Government wcro themselves obtaining large incomes from private enterprises. They wero themselves increasing the magnitude of the unemployed problem, which they declined to deal with in the House of Commons, preferring to discuss all night whether a man might marry his dead wife's sister. Captain and Quartermaster T. S. Hill, of the Ist Wilts V.li.C. Town Clerk of Trowbridge,. lias now served, i'ur forty-eight years conliiuioulsy in the Volunteer forces, anil has been recommended lor a furllier extension of service as quartermaster by Colonel A. G. Watson, uomuiaiuling the Portland V 1., Brigade.