DREADNOUGHTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 486, 20 April 1909, Page 5

DREADNOUGHTS.

IS IT PRUDENT TO BUILD FAR AHEAD? RATE OF OBSOLESCENCE. ■ SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER. . '(BY TELEGBAPII—PRESS ASSOCIATION—CorVIUGIIT.) London, April 18. ■ Mr. Asquith, Prime Minister, speaking at Glasgow, referred to the Cawdor Memorandum (the Unionist pronouncement of 1905 which'fixed the British programme of armoured ships at four to be laid down yearly). Mr. Asquith characterised the Memorandum as an electioneering pamphlet, "Had the Liberals -proceeded on its l lines," said the Promier, "we would have, been in possession of an unnecessary* number of backward specimens of. ships' in a constantly progressive family.. / - '' Already a Thirty Por Cent. Improvement. • "Vessels of the Neptune class will be thirty per' cent, - better, . than .tho original. Dreadnoughts. At this moment we may be on tho eve of now development in naval construction which may\ vitally affect naval policy; hence it is undesirablo'to order a contingent of Dreadnoughts immediately. ■ "The sole issuo between our critics and ourselves is whether wo should bind ourselves to order extra vessels at onoe, or leave the question to be determined later in tho year. A Naval Conferenco of the Empire. , ■ "The mngnificont colonial offers (added the Prime Minister) - are enhanced by' tho fine generous spirit'in whichj-theyare made.' Nothing could be more cracious or. tactful, or indicate a more generous", patriotic concert 'in the common .obligations of, the 1 - Empiire." j 1 Speaking without consulting his-colleagues, Mr. Asquithsuggested the possibility of a' conferenco . betweenthe - .colonies, and the Mother Country regarding tlieir, future respective shares in the great independent work of naval defence.- ■ .. v'. • ATTITUDE OF THE FEDERAL COVERNTROUBLED EXPECTED. '• THREATS OF A DISSOLUTION." : ' ? v. (Rec..April 20, 0.35 a.m.)'-- ■ .-... Melbourne, April, i' 9. The. Federal Ministry expects that when the House meets they will bo challenged ,- over their: attitude on ' the .question .of offering : a Dreadnought to the' Mother Country. The Postmaster-General has publicly stated that if. : the' Government's'defeated on the 'question it will apply for a dissolution. : l-V", 1 ,-'' ■■ ! ' < v. ■; . fLord'Cawdor/-who.'was the First, Lord ,'of the - Admiralty in the Wer months of the Balfour Ministry;' presented ,tq Parliaments ; few . days before .vacating offico a memorandum of the policy which he conceived should guide the,,-Admiralty., In-that - memorandum,. to whioli. Mr. Lee alluded in his speech recently, Lord Cawdor' said that i the Admiralty, considered that at that time (November, 1905)1 strategic requirements. necessitated an, output; of four large armoured 1 ships and unless unforeseen 'contingencies arose, the number would not. be exceeded. ' The period iof .building .was -to .be. tiv'o years,' and therefore four;ships would be laid down each year, I and there would be eight ships in,- course of construction in any one year, either in the I Navy dockyards, or .by contraot.j ' .