MARGIN OF THREE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 711, 10 January 1910, Page 5

MARGIN OF THREE.

DREADNOUGHTS IN 1912 BRITAIN AND GERMANY. AUSTRIAN VIEW OF MR; BALFOUR'S SPEECH. By Telograph-PreES Association-GoDyrieht. Vienna, January 7. ''• Austrian newspapers discuss Mr. Balfour's Hanley speech (in the.': course of which Mr. Balfour stated that eminont though non-official l Germans were declaring that' Germany would never allow Britain to adopt tariff reform; .also that in the opinion. of 'the statesmen and diplomatists '.of-lesser Powers 1 a struggle, between Britain and Germany is inevitable, and "they think we are.not alive,to a sense of bur " responsibilities, and are therefore predestined to succumb").. ."■•', "'' The "Neue Freie Press" stigmatises the speech -as a slmll war-blast "ugaihsS Germany,', ', ; ' : "."' r '^'-.'-.■". - : !v>. '.-'' . The "Freradohblatt": considers that 1 ifr.' Balfour was;-justified in warning Britain that- the'only wayto.onsure pence Was to insure against war. It emphasises Mr. Balfour's disclaimer of a belief that there will,be a collision with Germany. ./'/ A "FORMIDABLE" PROV; GRAMME. ; IMPORTANT SPEECH. LORD' CREWE:'.ON .ANGLO-GERMAN ■:':.; ,;/,\ : SITUATION. V-:!-. • -■';-''.''■'■• "'(Bee. January ! 9i's p.m.). :\ . , ; ::;;.; London, January B.' : Earl Crewe (Lord.Privy Seal",and Sec,ratary of State' for the Colonies)' deliver-; ed.iuv election speech on-the,naval .ques--! tibn at Portsmouth (where Admiral Cb/as. ■Beresford, Unionist candidate, ! is .conducting 'an.anti-Admiralty crusade). • ./■, : . Lord Crowe, stated that the"" 'Govern--; moit knew, that, the -German naval construction programme. was /.formidable, 'ana"., through..Mr. -.Mulliner's firm: and: bth'er'sources, ;were: aware 'thatKrupps had accelordted: their .work. , It was not the' 1 duty' of; the 'Admiralty to: advertise the. facts which thus cauie totheir.knbw-: ledge; but. to watch and act-as necessity arose. ■ ,';The'.'Adniiralty. and- the 'ment had .to' keep /their eye;on:the;-dan-ger', point.' The comparative .position, between Britain 'and' Germany .in 1912, as regards Dreadnoughts' afloat,-'would."bo:—/ Britain ; ; ; ...' :... 20 Dreadnoughts. ; J : >..;:'...-17 Dreadnoughts. The '..decelerating.:.^ ; ' the - German pro-gj-ammo represented, a formidable stato | of■ ! things'i becauso of. Britain's, heavy, task in building''up'so ; ra6thing:in:the'naturo;of a .new ; navy'i .in 'order, to keop.a,margin ahead" of other' countries. ..Lord -Crewo addod:—;V,'i'.v. V:-,:;-':: J:'--" - V;.,:;'';':.: ,!;' .::"Wo'do ;nPt?deny"the gravity :' 1 ; " of the situation. Naval Esti-'.«■ /mates'for 1910-19i1. cannot, and will >„. : . i'.'not, be light. Tho British and the , .German '■ Govorhrnents are,; sin-■• , ? ceroly; desirious" to. be Irlendly," r :but it.is' impossible to shut our . V, eyes-to the', fact that, thp-ideals-of the two nations might come in. .conflict. -Therefore it .is necessary--.-. ;. :'tb beifuliy'preparedj but we must ', : ";:, :not mako= ourselves the laughing ' "'•stock of. thewhole': world." :,'...:.'.. The ■ spoakor- added- 'that: Mr. .Balfour .did not.seem to realise the advantage ,-'of delay in- tho''.' building '. ; pf; Dreadnoughts," in. that''tho- latest made usb' bf; ; .-- :;''■'.:-''".-':::■-'''■'-'.'•;- '■■:-■■ '■[ :: [In' his Haddington., speech ': Mr.. ; Asi : ijuith; declared! ''This,, additional ■' sura (for,-pdviil'-expenditure inidlO) is : being ;better and- more fruitfully, expended; than, if it-had been'spent .earlier.]:. ".''■''.•;': '/'"-■■ y ) Sir. Edward .'Grey; Secretary, for For-' eign"; at^'Wark'.'(Northumberland); : said:' • .■">■ :■' '.' '.. ':':,':' - '•';.''•:.' ; ; "We' must • Be .prepared' to' meet yearly-, whatever-. increases ; in',: the Navy •■ -'-Esfr mates are necessary, in order to the fleet to bo'iaperibr to any .'probable .combination .of foreigners -which ■■'is' : likely to bo ,brDught,:against':u3."'' ; ', ' ■: /.V ;.";: . LoTd Lansdowne/ Dnionist: Leader;; in the- House "of'; Lords, speaking ;at. bury, stated that the, Liberals.-.fiiled'.with .aspirations, for peacej had.allowed naval, construotion to lapse to'ah'extent which ho .it wasv virtually, impossible to v overtake. '■'.:'''■■'■■■■'■.':'/"/■ '.' :'; :'■'■' •"■- GANADA WOULD HELP, WHAriS BACK : OF THEiKAisER'S :.:'.:; "'z ■;;;,;':;:;'HEAD?:.: .':;:.;'. V-:;:"-:.-■-::-, SIR W. LADRIETt:ON BRITAIN'S ''::;;;;'" PAST; FRIENDSHIP; ;: -..:'f: : .; : : ;:• o ttawa, January,.7.": ■ Sir Wilfrid Laurier; Prime Minister of Canada,, in the'.course of :ah,address at Toronto,, said he. could not:' believe that Britain; was'. in'. danger, but: if ; Britain were. strongly -pressed ' there would h'e a wave of 6entiment all over Canada to go to .tho .succour, of .'the: Old Land. .';'. He (Sir was nnawaro. of what Kaiser's headl ; The: Kaiser might be preparing for'war, but,;if..he .was true ;.to his own words, and, remembered -that' blood; : .was-, thicker .than wate, Sir -Wilfrid 'did;not .believe.. 1 that ho intended 'to attack .the: family. .from. which'' he had -sprung., :' -; : - '.:\ ,:,, , - When ' France ' humiliated ■': Germany, : , 'continued■ithe' Prime Minister.vEnglarid's alliance saved, her. ; : He could conceive: Germany having a score against. France,because. French 'armies: .had. overridden'; the .'Fatherland. .But -British .the'past.Vouid tat 'be .forgotten by the 'German people.,v.; :"', '•-' ':■'•'■ ; :. - ; ; ' 1 -'Nevertheiess,'-added Sir-.Wilfrid, Bri-; tish.naval supremacy was;essential to,the seouvity'.'of comiu.erce," an'd.was' a -pledge to the world for the'good of the,world. :' "TWISTING THE LION'^TAIL":FOR' .'/ v VOTE-CATCHiNG.\ . ;.; :)IME. LLOTD-GEORGE ON :MR; ' -; j'. .-;,:;■;: -balfodr.; : v ::•.:,;;. ■'.-..-. .': '■.■:' ..,.,:::; London, Jannary 7/ > Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Exchequer,,:speaking at Peckham,. South London,, mado'a violent attack on Mr. Balfour , as ■ ■ a , "Tail-twister.",. He declared': that the ex-Premier's Hanley speeoh was the last, resort of d thor--oughly. desperate, hian,. who. saw that -his cause was lost." To talk,about:war W'ith Germany' was ■ d. danger to peace and a disgrace 1 ,to ; . British politics.. ■''.'• ■'/ GERMAN CONSCRIPTS V. BRITISH' .SAILORS. THE' FffiST LORD ON BLATCHFORD: .'. :AND V ;MDLLLNER.: : '.';;:;- ,'..'. ■'. : LPndon, January 7. Mr. M'Kenna,,. First.'Lord -'of' tlie'Ad-miralty,speaking''-'at. Pontnewydd, Mon-' mouthshire, denied that the' Admiralty, had tried to drive- Mr. Mulliner out of business. ■/: ■The Minister also' declared that' many of the ! - statements: by Mr. Bldtchford, the "Daily: Mail",: writer, wore grossly untrue.. Referring to the statement that German', seamen were bettor- trained than Britisli, Mr.: M'Kenna said; that ■ Mr. Blatchford; forgot that British sailors served for twenty-two years, whilo German . sailors were conscripts, serving for three years. [Whatever the quality of the German conscript as ooinpaxcd with the English

long-service man, tho question of cost has got to be considered, and Mr; H. W. Wilson declares ■ that. .."with her system of compulsory ! service ' each pound in Germany goes as far' as SA 10s. in 'England." . . . . ' Admiral - Beresford, who , recently threatened to defy the Official Secrets Act, was responsible for the statement that Mulliners, a Coventry firm, had informed the Admiralty in May, 1006, of German's accelerated shipbuilding, since, which' date.:the firm had:never received an Admiralty order. Following on this, Mr. Mulliner, in a letter tothe newspapers, gave 'details of his alleged treatment by'the Admiralty, and declared that the naval-:situation was never graver .than at present.] ... ...:.,

, GERMANY'S: GROWING VOTE. OYER TWELVE MILLIONS FOR NEW' .-■.-' ■" •;"■ SHIPS.; :•' .-,- : .;■;■.;. ■ During the debate, in the House ,of Commons on last year's (1909) Naval.Estimates, ilr. ASquith forecasted :the same number of -British -and Gorman Dreadnoughts (20 and 17 respectively) in April, 1912, as is:how affirmed by Lord..Crewe.. Mr. Balfour' was reputed as. estimating, thefigures in July, 1912, at: Britain 20, Germany: 21'.{and: perhaps- 25). , Sir Edward Grey, referring to the German .Navy. Law ■ programme, said; last. March: "When that programme is complete, Germany .will have .33 Dreadnoughts, the most,powerful fleet, in the, world. That'-.imposes on Britain' the necessity of rebuilding her whole fleet." ~The new construction . and . armaments vote for 1909 ; on the: Gorman Naval Estimates,, was- : as against .Britain's .£10,250,19*.', For 1910 the" German vote is .£12,177,500,, an increase, of 41,126,034 over the.1909 vote; and :an :■ inofea.se' of ,41,921,400 over Britain's 1909 vote.' _ , The Berlin correspondent of the "Daily Mail" recently- wrote: "The ..cost of the new vessels:themselves,is.fixedat .£7,710,500 (or an increase', of the balance representing gnns and,armour. The new Estimates'-provido £750,000 for sub-, marines,; which is .£250,000 mbfo; than was spent .this.year:" -;."■-.:,-..:' : Tho total .of >tho German Naval- Estimates for 1910 is The correspondent '.remarks:' : ."A impressive . silence reigns in the: German press over the oflicial revelation that the Empire will spond ,4222,000,000 on -.the Navy .next year.. The investment of such a'sum a5' : J12,177,500,in new warship.construction, altogether; without: parallel :',in German history, causes no more: concern andfor.less comment thaii tho Post Office Estimates for transferring the main tele-, graph-office in Berlin, to- another, quarter.- .;,■,- •';'.-:. :i' : V:: : : '': :.:.:'..':v : : .;'■: :.'.'■'■'.''•-'.:

'■; "Germany- now takes' gigdnlio naval expenditure as a; matter-■ of qburse. Only: the .'Vorwaerts,' the; Socialist organ,;which opposes; military; and . naval-. : ' legislation on principle, even:so-much as- refers, to .the increase in-the;:Naval Estimates,, and then only .iri a: sentence registering tho fapt. -The (Berliner. .Neuesto' Nuchrichten,' .the :organ .of, .the , 'armonrplato kings' and tho.naval expansionists,.mentions that 'economy': in the,.'entire Imperial.Budget,:, because the' not increase of l ifi2,3so,ooo.'is'smaller.'than the usual .annual;inprcase'i: :,':•::' ; '-:', f ::,'•-':■:,' . "Tho,.moral-' of ,:the nation's silence' on t'lie. "Naval, Estimates ,is : twofold.- -In the first place, as Grand, Admiral von.Koester, President: of ; the: Navy League,' expressed'himself :.the other day, .'tho' Estimates' 1 contnin' ; " no- surprises. 'Wo laid our cards on the table,Uvo years ago for all- the, world to;;'soe.' ' Secondly;, the Fatherland is obsessed with a determination to make/.itself mighty on-the'sea. . The .cdnntrris: thoroughly:"conscious;: that the realisation'.of, .those ; ambitions' -necessitates,- enormous -' annual, expenditure: Having decided that the Kaiser was right when lid said: 'Gcrmimy's future lies on the-wafer,' the country is-prepared and resigned, to bear: tho burden.".', ■ •