NAVAL ARMAMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 529, 9 June 1909, Page 7

NAVAL ARMAMENTS.

BRITAIN'S BURDEN. PROBLEM OF SHARING IT. "THIS LITTLE ENGLAND" AND HER OFFSPRING. (dt. Titaamrn—mess association—col'lbiqht.i (Rec. June 8, 9.25 p.m.) London, June B.' Commenting on Lord Rosebery's speech to the Press Conference delegates, tho '"Manchester Guardian" characterises the substance as hollow and unreal, and. says the offoct will bo inflammatory! The "Guardian" continues:— ; , 'Mr. Deakin's offer of a'Dreadnought, or its equivalent, is gratifying evidence of the sentiment of unity, but if tho choice is botweon an .Australian Dreadnought sorving in the North Sea, and tho equivalent value of sorvice in Australian waters, we prefer.the second alternative. If Australia. Contributes towards the defence of tho North Sea, she binds us to make an equivalent contribution to her defence in the moment of danger." The Daily News" says that sooner or lator such offers as that of Australia must be reduced to a system. If the colonies share in the burden of defence they mast possess the right to influence* its policy. . Tho "Scotsman" declares that tho phase of neglected duty connection with Imperial' defence is passing. Even stronger proof than tho \;ords of the colonial journalists is furnished by Australia's offer of a Dreadnought. .

Tho "Glasgow Herald" says the Empire oau no longer afford to treat Imperial dofonoe as a mattor/ of purely Britannic concern. .Optimism is encouraged hy thepromptitudo wiMi which Mr. Deokin reversed tho policy of his predecessor, Mr. Fisher.

DEFICIENCY IN DOCKS,

A REPAIRING BASE ON THE TTNE: "

.- ■ , , London, June 7;. ivitn a view to securing-a repairing base for warships on the Tyne, the Admiralty proposes to Bubsidiso a private firm to construct docUing accommodation at Jarrow Lako.

J\ h n %lT-ftw d at , th ,° Stephenson dock, V, -" C .. y ocl ' : oa the east coast -fnr?lwt 1' 1 i"u l 6 2 Dreadnought. It is further alleged that the Stephenson \could not accommodate a badly damaged Dreadnought.] THE MONROE DOCTRINE. GERMAN CRTJISEKS TO VISIT SOUTH / AMERICA. V Washington, June 7. Agitation has been, causod in Washington hy , the, German Navy League's .suggestion 'that German cruisers should be regularly sent to. South America, with the view of stimulating trade. . ' A WARNING. ; TO THE "MOST POWERFUL MARITIME . 1 NATION." ■ v \ . Berlin, June 7. Admiral von Weber doctored, -at the meofcmg. of the Navy; League, that Germans must work to create so powerful a fleet that even the -most powerful maritime nation would • incur ■ serious risk . in. making. . . war against Gormany. " V '

"DEFENSIVE'. -STRATEGY'CONDEMNP^

A PRESTIGE-MAKING NAVY. The s'pee'okea' made'before tho 'German Navy League by Prince Heavy of Prussia and Admiral von Weber, and cabled yesterday, chime exactly m their main- particulars with an address which the president .of theileague, Grand Admiral von Kosier, delivered to the Baden branch of the league in March. The main f °m mL A speeches cabled yesterday were:— (1) That tho league's.efforts should be' based on the existing Navy Law, which, however may bo,extended. ; '.. . , (2) That snoh extension might easily embrace a, batch of n,o\v. armoured cruisers of tho Invincible'type. l . : (3) That the German uafy was not merely for defence of coasts and trade,. but was indispensable to, political prestige/V ; . Admiral von Koster's speech: in March both explains and expands these propositions. Soma press writers had been advocating theroont. of tho German Navy; upon strictly defensive ilines-m opposition; to proposition No. 3-and ; to these: Admiral von Koster set himself the tast of replying. ,He said that tho advocates of the small war" theor/and of defensive, without offensive, strategy were quite wrong When Germany had a strong High boa ileet they would soon find that there was less disposition "to hem Germany in." With- ■ out a strong High Sea Fleet Germany would lose an importance upon tho sea and would be Out oil. from sea-borne trade and commerc Ijecause. she, would be unable to defend her maritimo interests. .." Navy Law—More Cruisers. Admiral von Kostor stated that the commit--tee of the Navy League did not desire at present to go beyond tho limits of tho Navy Law. But they would do all- they possibly could to secure the construction, of all -the ships for which the Navy_ Law made provision, to mamtain equality with other Powers in regard to power and speed: of th 9 snips', to obtain for' _tho • cruiser question", the attention which it deserved, and to guarantee the possession at any 'moment_of "the necessary- number of thoroughly effioiont cruisers." ; "These statements," comments the Berlin correspondent of "The Times," "may be taken to mean that the committee of the Navy League has,postponed, but by no means abandoned, tho which was outlined in a circular lottor tg. the members of the league last autumn. As ; regards fulfilment. of tho provisions of the Navy;. Law, the Navy League's mam demand is for the early construction of the seventeenth battleship of the first double squadron, of the High Sea-Fleet.-> As regards tho cruiser question' the Navy League is of opinion- that 'the limits of the Navy Law* mighf well embrace six more large armoured cruisers, because six out of. the 2(Mar"o cruisers provided, by the-Navy Law are boing used for speoial -purposes and are thus withdrawn from their proper sphere of activity." MR. STEAD'S VIEW. , Mr.' W. T. Stead, whose, advocaoy of "two keels to Germany's one" , was a feature of the recent 'controversy, writes:'"lt is idle to aslc where the money is to come from; -It will come,, and come- eagerly, from the pockets of .those,whose pookets would be emptied for Sver i.,x we oomniantl of tho seas. Better spend fifty millions, it need be, in creating a supremo Navy, than pay >£500,000,000 hereafter as indemnity to; any Power," whioh, if allowed to grasp our trident, could' reduce us" to starvation- without landing a. single soldier' on our coosts. . And, before proceeding further, it will 1 be Ml to dismiss? onco for all tha mislondinp and- irrelevant nonsense that in talked about 1 tho need for strengthening'our Army, ns if this would supply any equivalent for the loss 6f t.be command of the . seas... Lord Rosebery's maladroit' intervention may bo ignored" It is a mere red hcrrinj, for if every able-bodied man ill. these islands were trained to arms that ■would not awl to save lis if wo lost command .01 the seas. The Germans did not talco Paris by storm. To have dono so would hnvo been a wnnton waste of German, soldiers, They reduced it by starvation.' And an England which has lost commnnd of tlio seas would be simply an enlarged, and more -holpless Paris, no mat- : ter how unsparingly conscription was on-- 1 forced.