The Dominion. THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1909. THE NAVAL CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 471, 1 April 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1909. THE NAVAL CRISIS.

$ : The general expectation that the Government would secure a large majority against the Opposition's motion of censure upon the insufficiency of the Navy Estimates has been amply fulfilled. But it is clear, not only from the delegation of the motion to one of the rank and file of the Opposition, but from the moderate (tone in which the motion was brought before the House, that the Opposition's real purpose was only to keep the grave question of the naval situation at a high pitch of interest, and to draw from the Government a fuller statement of its attitude. In this double purpose it has succeeded beyond its expectations, since the motion extracted a long' statement from Sib Edward Grey, than whose there can be no more important opinion upon the naval aspcct of Britain's relations with Germany. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is rightly trusted by both parties; when ho speaks, the nation knows, and the Opposition recognises, that ,the party voice is stilled for the time being, and that the subject of hisspeech is being dealt with from the point of view of the practically fixed foreign policy of Great Britain. On this occasion he abundantly illustrated the detachment from parties which his office requires from its occupant. The situation creatcd by the programme, he says, must be regarded as "grave," since "when that programme is complete Germany will have thirty-three Dreadnoughts, the most powerful fleet in the world." That fact, ho added, "imposes

on Britain the necessity of rebuilding her whole licet." We arc told that this statement created a sensation in the House, but it is difiicult. to understand why it should have done so. Unless some new discovery respecting the activity of Germany has been made since the Navy Estimates were brought clown, the situation must be the same as it was then. But it is hardly credible that any such discovery has been made; in any event, there is not a word in Sir Edward Grey's speech to suggest that the figures in the Government's possession a fortnight ago have required revision. None of the many sources of information available suppty any explanation of the basis on which Sir Edward Grey has calculated the full extent of the German programme. Despite the sensation caused in the House, it must bo concluded that the grave situation revealed by the Prime Minister and Mr. M'Kenna has not grown any more grave. Face to face with the huge work of rebuilding the fleet, the country's chief concern is not a matter of money, but a matter of construction. Whatever money is required—however vast the sum may be —will certainly be found. But to be able to afford a new fleet is no comfort if the ability to build warships as fast as they are wanted is lacking. On the point of the capacity of the British yards, the Foreign Minister has more reassuring news than was given by Mr. M'Kenna some days ago. Excepting in her capacity to provide gun-mountings, Britain is now declared to be considerably better equipped for turning out battleships than Germany. The Admiralty lias made arrangements, however, to make the superiority of Britain complete at all poijits. Turning to the diplomatic aspect of the situation. Sir Edward Grey declared that there is no reason to apprehend a position leading to a conflict between Germany and Britain, which could only arise from an attempt by either Power to isolate the other in European politics. He concluded with an assurance that the four supplementary Dreadnoughts, if built, will not constitute a mortgage on next year's programme, and that, finally, "national security will have the benefit of any doubt." The London Times reads the speech as a convincing argument in favour of the full programme of eight Dreadnoughts. There are indications that the Government, if it has not actually decided to add the four "possible" Dreadnoughts to its programme, is likely to do so very shortly, since Mr. M'Kenna has followed up bis colleague's specch by "hinting," to quote the cable message, "at certain preparations for contingent Dreadnoughts, including designs already in hand." The reason for the Government's reluctance to come out definitely on the point is not easy to be seen. It may be that the Government hopes that Germany will not, or cannot, after all, keep up her pace; Sir Edward Grey places reliance upon a verbal statement by Germany that she would have no more than thirteen Dreadnoughts at the end of 1912. But the German Chancellor lias informed the Reichstag, so it is reported to-day, that Germany's assurances regarding ship-building "are not of a binding character." If the debate on the censure motion leaves the actual naval position unchanged, it at any rate reveals a hardening of the general determination of Parliament to take no chances with the nation's security. "What the public thinks is made very clear by the substantial victory of the Unionist candidate at the Croydon by-election. Wc may expect big naval budgets for years to come, since the rebuilding of the fleet is a work of urgency. Before the work is finished we shall probably find that the dominions are sharing the burden fairly. Such a general contribution from the dominions as would make New Zealand contribute £500,000 a year would provide three Dreadnoughts annually. Such ameasure of assistance would. enable the naval security of the Empire to rise above challenge without any heart-break-ing burden being placed upon the shoulders of the people in the British Isles.