AN IMPERIAL NAVY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 542, 24 June 1909, Page 7

AN IMPERIAL NAVY.

CANADA'S PART. THREE PROPOSITIONS. CANADIAN NAVAL MILITIA MOST ~ . FAVOURED. '(By Telegraph.—Press (Rec. June 23, 11 p.m.) Ottawa, Juno 23. Mr. L. P. Brodeur, Canadian Minister for Marine, replying to a deputation at' Montreal, stated that there were-three proposals in connection with naval defenoe. Canada might . (a) Offer . two : Dreadnoughts ,to the . Imperial Navy, (b) Contribute an annual round sum to the cost of the Imperial Navy, or . : (c) Establish a Canadian Naval Militia. Mr. Brodeur added that tho last-mentioned proposal | was : the' most favoured by tho Canadian .Government, and tho Opposition supported it. He added that, if only one dry dock was built, Qucbec would bo the best location. . GERMAN ACTIVITY. SHIPYARD IMPROVEMENTS.. Hamburg, Juno 22. Tho Kaiser has inspected tho new Vulcan Yard at Hamburg, in which the latest laboursaving appliances hare been installed. " The now machinery will ; result" 1 in the, gain of half a year in the construction .of a battle- ' ; ..-v GERMANY'S 1903 DREADNOUGHTS On June 9 it was .cabled, on the authority of "The Times," that "it is reported at-Berlin and Kiel .that contracts have been • sighed for the. twq .remaining capital ships provided for in tho 1909 German naval programme; the other .'two having been laid down in advance last year.' This departure, if correct, is'a violation' of the assurance which ' Admiral, von .Tirpitz, Secretary for the Navy, gave to the Reichstag on , March 29, that the two remaining ships would not bo_ put out to tender till the : late sunimer'of; year, .and. would .not. •be ordered till some-moiiths later." Iu his statement in' March, Admiral von Tirpitz denied that there had becn any acceleration'in the construction of Gorman warships, :or that tlio new. ships were, ordered earlier than ,was consistent with the Budget. Last autumn, bo, explained, tuo ships of the-1909 'wero:assured |o.two private yards at.comparatively cheap priocs, since there was a danger that if four ships 'were-given out •simultaneously at the commencement of 1909 a considerable: increase of price might bo"brought about by the formation of a trust. Tlio ships had not been corameneed, and the term of delivery was 36 months, dating from : April. 1, 1509. "The two other ships of theso Estimate," he continued,, " ajro not to be put out for tender till the late summer of this year, and will be ordered some months later. As neither the 'private films nor the Imperial yards know whether.they will get these ships, special preparation of material . in ; advance is quite impossible. If such an increase has taken place, it . has, been .presumably for: business reasons, but certainly not at our instance.; •

"Finally, I'repeat ttnco more 1 expressly that, as the has already mentioned, Wei ;sball. have 'ready, for use' in; 1912, and at jthe earliest' in the autumn, .and not- in the spring;} ten. Dreadnoughts'and threo Invinciblcs, in all thirteen big modern ships, and not seventeen, I will: not.go; into the'quo#oh';how far it is right to base.comparisons of naval armament solely ! on-the ;number of Dreadnoughts.".