A NEW NAVY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 583, 11 August 1909, Page 8

A NEW NAVY.

LORD BERESFORD'S SCHEME. • A MATTER OF. £60,000,000. '::' GREAT. GATHERING IN LONDON. "'. ■ . ••• • • London, July 3. At the Merchant Taylors' -Hall,, on Juno 31 (says, the "Daily News"), a great gatherinj convened by the- London Chamber, of Com merce,: listened for nearly an hour and a hal to-Lord-Charles*Boreaford,. who. pleaded -for i utronger Navy. . ' ' ' > . With tho 'exception of the question of oi - ganisation :and preparation-of the, I'leet foi war' in home waters—a - matter :.which is; the • -"Sljbject 'of inquiry' by the; Sub-Committee .ol the Imperial Defbnce .Committee, and*.which istherefore: sub.'judice—Lord . Charles, whe spoke. from oarefully-prepared notes, .traversed ; the''whole-range :of ; : present'naval problems and : outlined /a. "programme of. his, own, which .'he .frankly admitted would cost'.at. fifty-five .t'o 'sixty !•millions.'' . This programme,'whicb.:'he believed should put the British Empire in;a state of safety.-by March 31,. 191*1,. ; is as follows:— ' ■' ' ' ' ,;';■; ; ' Ten battleships called Dreadnoughts', which will probably bo improved, 1 the four the country is still asking for. '' Eighteen second-class cruisers. < Eighteen commerce protection cruisers. ■ :Twenty-four new class vessels, a little ' 'C: i larger, than destroyers,, and in the same ; T ' position-that the destroyer was to the . torpedo boat'm years gone 'by.-- ; -" ■■ •Fifty-two 'torpedo-boat destroyers. : • Four floating docks.' '■ ... Depleted stores made up. i: , . Coal stores to be-mado up, and ammuni.T ' ' tion made up'to-requirements. r 'Foreign repairing stations to be restored.- - ; 5 Additional personnel of 16,000 men; 1 ' All of the ten battleships to be'finished by . March-1, 1914. Four should be ..laid doiyn', at-: once ■in addition to the -four -'■-.J'- promised >by tlio Government. -'*■ ,>!; Cruisers-new class of 'vessel," torpedo-boat .-destroyers,, stores, arid docks should be ''finished by. March, 1913. . ... Silence about; Naval Inquiry. ■Lord- Charles Beresford, who was, received .■ : iiHtK: great'• etithilsiasm and; .cries';of ."Bravo," ' paid: that;in!Speaking ■of 'the. state: of, the Navy there wore: two!. points which commanded paramount attention,''among the many points on' .Wnich he might address-tluim. The first was the. preseitt' efficiency!- of ' the" Fleet—that; was, tfce preparation ,for war. of' the ; jorces'theyhai.already'.,paid for.- .. ' "/"Thb Second/ question," he ■'Proceeded,, ",is the ;future "• efficiency of the Ileet as 'representedrby ?tho-shipbuilding voto. Onrthe first , pijint, - havirig -;ib'fen: in ••command- of.. fleets , for wveral: years;;',L : .ventured.; to, write :a. letter v to •' the! Prime * Minister' ''teltihij" -him;, my wiews ,of the question',-so far, as the want of organisation' and preparation of the Fleet for war in hbine;l,waters ' wasiv'.conocrtied.>:;'.The Erifli'o ' Minister: thought, the' letter/,serious.".eno.ugh to order a., committee.'.: The-.matter is 'still; sub judioe. ''Last Thursday I gavo all the evi-dence-1 could, that, I; intend: to,, "in:, support of my .statements,'' I ,am v told I 'must be reticent in what I say . to-day. : .'-There can. be no', reticence" on a question-.that'is sub.judice; .there ' absolute silence, .and'"that" silence' I joean to maintain. ■■As'far as* the other;matter is 'concerned, 'I have no intention whatever of beings reticent.,. :,.I -'.to tell my. .fellow tyiihtfyniea'. Vhat il : believe,. : l -will, endeavour . to-.prove/the whole .'of .my statements,- and then I wiU leave the'matter'in'their bands." > . The Foreign Secretary had said that mat* ters'were so- bad.that they .must' rebuild the Fleet. . .With; those' words he' agreed, .and ' he , would endeavour: .'to "prove' ■ that - the Foreign Sectary:;vwm ; : right;.So - farnothing' ;h'ad been ■■ done;'.'and ...there:,'was !,prdiiosal !us : !to 'what' shbuld 'he . done to'guard -.against ,the'i.dangers;,'pointcd'-.6ut..- ; ■-They:!hadv,hea'i;'d ' many., sentences', .'such aslt. is: essential-.to .keep, comriiand'of the/seabiitthb'people wanted"' a definite prograjnme.' : ; Tho Position Serious.:; ~- /•; "If we make a programme," said 'Lord . 'Charles, "I;';ii}n, inciined.ito.. , wild .and'jiisaie competition wliich'';is!'going ' on!, abroad. rnayj-cease.-A programme.'is."sume- ,. thing- definite.'.-!,'.-It: miist be made out -on what you, see, 'not- what; you don't; see. • .it' must' -be- - niade: but oi fact and''hot:'supposition. -Hoi . must, take,''.'as I.hope., to.take, .a country, (and bht:;what:.that country': has built,/biiild| ... ing, and projected,' riot on .whioh she. is 'gbiiig to project,,,or :do." <He thought .tho position was ;',mo're serious than.'- was generally ■ knowii, ; but. that was-no reason. for, thero'^being-any panic. ; i ■He-was'.;quite : s.ilra;ithat' having been occupied .once, or, twice before"in trying-to make ;his''6flu"nttyihen'''see; the. netessity. for, a! .strong .aayy,"'he''would ;-,'b'e told'he was a, pa'ni'c- . monger, and a.scaremonger.,' ' ("No!").'. : J Well, /'if ;-he' was'it .' would .only make'' him smile. (Laughter.); If a scaremongei'' was' a man 'who ; :old his countrymen; '.the- truth -with one ob--iect .in. view,'and. a .patriotic motive .he. was certainly; 'a 'sbatempnger. . .' :''lThe:' maiif^ciu'se; of: the■serious.'.', state -'of ■. affairs," . he p'rpceededj ■ "is .'oiving.i-first to'f ■ all, toibiir..allowing,.large' and extensive; arrears d£ ■;Bhipbuildirigr;:.> : Secohdly, it' is dhe'.-to 'false' , i which,'- wilt ' liltimately ' ky;. to 'a'.'jvery ' much. 'larger expenditure.. of . money, .they had never been'prodiiced.' Another "cause" is .the 'absence,'of...a ..proper strategical 'department of the'.Admiralty; ; whose duty :should bei .to .make .out..plans for war, ,and .see what; vessels ■ are necessary to carry those plans out. (Hear, hear.) I.hope to show . you where welare weak in-'my opinion, where vvrfe are unprepared;'.what' I think necessary, why I think "it''necessary,' and what,-.;it, will ' -cost." :,In speaking of. .Germany, he say, ,'Ebfh'inff ! that : w6uldfirritate 'that'-country.' ; He ; - .was "; obliged- to -mention that - country, because he .could jno^'diak'-vftny''<?ompdrison of -what' a fleet should bo" unless - he ; .took' the next 6trongest'-Power;.in, Europe. . ~ . "On • December. 12, 18S8, I brought forward a ' ?rbgramme forspending 20 millions'on. 71 ships, resigned .'my y ".fcat'';,m.<'.the,- Government to . bring; that programme .-forward. .: The Government did not .treat' me' in' , a sympathetic man-: ' ner, but in ;three;,months 'they .brought:,',f.or- ■ '. ward my: iddn.t'icil';pro'grahimo,' '.':; I :! only '- m6n- ; tion; this hoping'that I may receive. §ome : sup- ; , port . from :my!'countrymen, as,- -having [b^en. - * proved Tight'; before} I'' may be proved' right .. again." ■ - _. Referring;'to Vhis i 'p.ro'gram ! me,.i.he;; : l '.said: that .. friends "of: his'''(wh6se'-';kn6wledge '..of' 'strategy . .and:'war;Md "knowledge, of'shipbuilding was "■supreme had helped ! ;hi'm:; ;!iHe' 'proceeded ! to set forth tho programme outlined above, and . said Vthere was no .reason in: the world why . we should not' have; built the 'Dreadnought, 'but it was very' wrong "and ."foolish have advertised ':they-ship;in:the:'Way .it '.yras adver-presS'-and by- public' : meh. -It was ... adyeftised:"jh::ah; 'insultiilg; and . arrogant -way to other.'ibountricsr " They said to' a:-n'eighbour-i ing hitioh,'s"Look.,at' our: Dreadnought." That ship .'your,{'fleet'!.-into'.; smithereens in ten, minptes." It' was" tlieir! fault that', the people of the-!;' World "-"had "g'oAe --oh 1 buililingDreadnoughts.' : By March 31, 1911, the Germans '.w.ould; have 21 • so-called -Dreadnoughts. ; By - the,.programme,! which'!-they' had/been ?told' , -of; Great;Britain'would-have 16.' "He''thot)ght ' they- vjvantea ,10 more, and that v-wopld :give March-, 31;'1914,,, Great ,Britain '.26 to JQerwany's -21. This 'country" had 40 ships, '.of% the pre-Drea.dnonght. era—manyof, .them, -.thought • better- at. nn'y, rate, .excellent ships —and"; Germany had only "g0t.20.., s r '(■ / Rebuke, for the'"Wild Men." :* ..' . What' dati- J&vwild' ; men ■ want 'who had ereated this "insane - competition? (Laughter ■ and! cheers.) ! They; ,!s.eeirig vt'hat ■ Germaiiy. 'was building ships,- wanted -us to lay /down two I co . every ship of the Dreadnought - class . that; Germany- laid; down. There .. was-v no . . lunacy; he'had"; heard so heavy as. that.' They youldijhayo'i to spend, on that one class ■ £31,000,000.- -Germany 'was going'to have !:21, ' io . that ■ we,.,according ; to .-this doctrine,- would have;to hive" 42. VB'ut' if 'they, built like, that, , they would'-have. tb : ; build-'dobks'and ! provide stores-!and; amniu'nition',without! ivhich a! ship was perfectly inefficient. Theso people wanted ior 'neavy ships " alone j32,000,000 more than He 'wag' asking them tb Spend-altogether. i Wheh the ...Dreadnought, policy.;.:'w;as started , Ihis'country in'.'heavy ships was'.'a. : foiir r Powor ' jtandaid. : 'N6\v>■ what",was; it?.;;-If '~wo. wore .. on- as we' wbre•' going, :it. would, riofc'be -r i one-Power standard.-;;' He ' .suggested -that , ihey : should make these vessels up to 58 ,; in lome '-waters. That- was without, including . -he'l9! large,.cruisers called: special service vessels. Gcil'iiany had '38 in hbme waters , / aid' 8V building ,'and projected, so that She ;' . TOuld have 46 crureers. to our 68. He pointed. . ,-ut' the .necessity : for'maiing , better provision :;■!:' 'or''the; protection, of 'commerce and keeping .. - 'upplies"- : going 1 / With regard! to destroyers, ie said that.-in- 1913'-.Germany-would.ha,ve . 30 to our 82. Then 'we should have, four astra;.'docks/: w'hich, : l;lie.'believed/ .would; cost bout .£300,000 each. ; * .' : !, Sir J. Fortescu'e Flarinery - proposed, and (dmiral Sir Edward Seymour seconded, a .Bsolufcion declaring that. the. Government pro- ' jiVimmo should be supplemented by immediate ' ;rders ; .for, further, capitailf: ships,,'together! with ilieir.properproportion.of other.classes' of ves- . 'icls aii'd 'docks and stores.- "■. The resolution was carried unanimously, as ,!. Vfas another-..urging. the two'.'jjarties, .to! co- : ';<perate: ; 'wit6;a. : view' tb .obtaining'the',hecessary