SEA AND LAND POWER

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 575, 2 August 1909, Page 5

SEA AND LAND POWER

NAVAL POLICY. MR. ASQUITH'S FORMULA. TO MEET ANY REASONABLY POSSIBLE COMBINATION. (By Telegraph.—l'resa Association.—Gopjrrtcht.l London, July 30. > Mr. Asquith, in tho course of his speech in Committoe-of-Supply on the Navy and Army Estimates, dee(ared that "the business of tho Admiralty wm to maintain, our naval supremacy at suoh a point that we could not lose command of the sea." Tho statement was received with general cheers. . ; . > ■■. •. ' TJio.Prime Minister continued:—"And, as against any reasonably possible combination, that we must hold' the sea and mako invasion aai impracticable event." ... Referring to the Home Army, the Primo Minister said the business of the War Officewas to have in all circumstances a properly organised and equipped force, capable' of dealing effectually with a possiblo invasion by an. army of seventy thousand men. if both these naval and military conditions wore satisfied, it was tho opinion of the Defence Committee that the country was safe from invasion. ' ~ .. /'' ' ■ ■ ". ■ Loader of the Opposition. . Mr. BalJour's reply- to Mr. Asquith's speech sliowed that he, like the Committee of Imperial Defence, had altered his views on the question of invasion since 1905. He emphasised his belief .that, the special sub-committee which had sat at the instance of Lord Roberta was absolutely right in jits conclusions. New circumstances bad arisen, and an invasion by a force .of seventy thousand was i thing the Defence Committee must contemplate. The. existence of. the Committee of Defence •would facilitate more consultation with the colonies, with the view of obtaining from them invaluable advice regarding the \ defence of tl)o- Empire. Sir Chas. pilkp, \ Sir Charles Dilke, Liberal member for the Forest of Dean, and ah ex-Cabinet Minister, questioned the wisdom of spending a large sum upon a Territorial force of four hundred thousand men. TJiis might prevent necessary expenditure upon thp fleet; Ho added, that wo. should have to strain every nervo to meet the financial pressure, necessitated by the maintenance of; a fleet of great strength, and it was his opinion that a largo I Home' army was of secondary importance.

Mr. A. H. Lee, formerly Unionist Civil Lord of the Admiralty, for Farobam, declared that Mr. Asquith's speech was incomparably, the most interesting and important delivered in the House this session. WHAT IS A "REASONABLY POSSIBLE COMBINATION?" , . In the House of Commons on 12, Mr. Arthur Lee asked the' Prime Minister if the Government accepted tho two-Power standard of naval strength as meaning a preponderance of 10 per cent, over the combined strengths in capital ships of the next two strongest Powers. Mr.. Asquith replied, "The answer is. in the affirmative." ■. . ..-■■■ -. ■

, Since then there has been a renewed tondenoy to exclude from the two-Power standard the United States, and perhaps Prancer-as ' instanced; by Mr. Churchill's speeches. In the March debate, Mr. Balfour declared that it was. not the two-Power standard, ■ but: a one? Power,standard, that Hvas^u ,1 Writer'.' , -' " : '"; J :.'

)Vorils very like.those'now used . by Mr. Asquith were' adopted by /Lord.'l'weedrnouth, formerly. First, Edrd of the. Admiralty, when ho spoke of "any reasonably;probablo combination of foreign Powers' 1 as being the test. ■■, ;

This formula the Uhionist press' sympathetic

cally,.denounced. ';.'■' '.•■' ' ' . ■■'.' . . FEDERAL DELEGATE , ? WORDS.' ! Molbourno, July 31. The Prime Minister and the Minister for Defoncoiiave been bombarded with questions in the House of Representatives regarding the utterances, of ; Col. , Fpxtpn, Commonwealth' delegate at the Defence Conference.

, Ministers replied that; ttjo delegate was entirely free to discuss any. question that came up, and they refused to answer any more questions without notice. ■ . J

[In his speech at the banquot to the delegates, Colonel Fpxton was ropqrted as saying that, ■ should necessity'arise, Australia was preSar'cd' , to'contribute men and money, and to raw on her resources to, tho very last, in order to take a'due shore in maintaining the Empire's integrity and supremacy on: tho oceans of the world. .-. ; Australia, had! dono what shp could to inaugurate, maintain, and develop a force on land sufficient to repel any attack. . She had "also done something to contribute towards the.cost of the British Meet; but also desired to be able' to provide something in the shapo of an Australian Navy—perhaps small at the outset—.which should become an integral portion of the naval armament of tho. Empire.] ■-.' : .. .; . . ; ' EXTRA DREADNOUGHTS. DEMAND . FOR A STAET FORTHWITH. ■ . :.' London, July 30. The Defence Committee of tho London Chamber of Commerce has resolved that'tho foiir extra Dreadnoughts, decided on by the Government; ought to be laid down forthr with, and should be supplemented by immediate orders for cruisers, docks, stores and personnel: ."'■'•.• '"■•,'.-. : ■ ;"•■: IMPERIAL GENERAL STAFF. : (Rec, August 1, 5.5 p.m.) Melbourne, July 31. The Federal Government dops not; propose to .make:'more than two appointments to the .-.lmperial General; Staff. Directors of organisation and military training wall bo appointed at an eariy data. ■'■[■■:•■■'