THE NAVY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1079, 18 March 1911, Page 5

THE NAVY.

THE MARGIN OF SECURITY. MR. BALFOUR SAYS FIVE SHIPS ARE TOO FEW. CRITICAL POSITION IN 1914. Br Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright (Ike. March 17, 10.35 p.m.) London, March 17. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. , M'Koniiii, in speaking on tlio Naval Estimates in the House of Commons, said the Government must ensuro that after a protracted struggle tlio country would be safe. They could not afford a fortnight's doubt. The suggested Navy loan was an expedient that should bo adopted only in exceptional circumstances, and all ordinary naval loans should bo defrayed out of revenue. The Estimates represented the total expenditure for the year, and, moreover, included interest on former loans amounting to £1,300,000. "We aro paying our way to the last shilling," declared Mr. M'Kenna. The Navy must bo supremo so long as the Empire was to endure, and lie could never advise the temporary expedient of a loan to meet permanent needs. ■ Turning to the year's programme, Mr. M'Kenna said that as it took two years to.build a Dreadnought they did not need to begin the construction of the five projected ships of tho Orion and Lion type before December and January next. Cost of the Dreadnoughts. The cost of the first eight Dreadnoughts had been tho same as tho cost of nine battleships of the King Edward class which had preceded them. The maintenance cost, however, was £50,000 a year less. The ships of tho Orion type had cost £1,900,000 each, an increase of £200,000 over the earlier Dreadnoughts. The Estimates, with their total of £41,392,500, as compared with Germany's expenditure of £22,000,000, appeared to represent upwards of the two-Power standard, but £8,000,000 represented expenditure which in Germany's case was embodied'in the Civil Estimates. Rival Expenditure. A true comparison of expenditure would therefore be:— Great Britain £36,000,000 Germany £22,000,000 A further £2,500,000 was deductible in respect of the fleets Great Britain maintained in the Pacific and the Atlantic, making tho British total £33,500,000. In concluding his statement, Mr. M'Kenna added that the Rosyth naval base would bo ready in 1915. Position in 1914. Mr. A. H. Lee, wlio was Civil Lord of the. Admiralty in tho Balfour Administration, said tho spring of 1914 would be a critical time for Great Britain. They would then have 29 Dreadnoughts in European waters, and the Triple Alliance would also possess 29. This gave no margin' for accidents. Tho Government's programme was lamentably insufficient in view of the threatened privateering peril if tho Declaration of London was ratified. An Amendment, Mr. G. li. Roberts, Labour member for Norwich, moved as an. amendment that foreign events did not warrant tho increasing expenditure, which was a menace to security. Mr. Balfour Speaks. Mr. Balfour, Leader of the Opposition, in a speech arousing intenso interest, said ho felt like others that the constantly increasing Estimates were ' rnoro than a national inconvenience, but they must be endured to avoidthe risk of disaster. If diplomacy and soft words could accomplish anything, by all means let them bo tried again. Meanwhile, they had the fact 3 of 1914 as detailed hy Mr. Lee, and also their responsibilities in other parts of the world, which must be faced. Great Britain must maintain her supremacy in the Mediterranean. No other nation had such a task before it. Mr. M'Kenna hero interposed that the Admiralty did not accept Mr. Lee's forecast as tho position in 1914. The Arbitration Proposals. Mr. Balfour next referred to Mr. Taft's suggestion to extend tho existing treaties for arbitration in order to includo points of national honour, equally with those of national interests. Tlio suggestion deserved careful consideration, and, whether or not it was realisable generally, there was no reason why kindred communities, such as Great Britain and tho United States, should not enter into such an arrangement. Paaoo tho Greatest Interest. After recalling Lord Salisbury's and Lord Pauiieefote's efforts to frame a treaty of arbitration with the United States, Mr. Balfour said Lord Salisbury's successors were fortunate enough to make an immense number of treaties of arbitration, but they had failed in America, wliero tho Senate, which had to ratify all treaties, had declined tho suggestions approved by the President and tho Cabinet. He hoped Mr. Taft's words represented not only the feeling of Mr. Taft and his Government, 0 but the general feeling in the United States. For both countries poaco was tho greatest interest, and the timo was ripo for a treaty preventing tho possibility of anything so horrible as war between them. If Sir Edward Grey and tho Government found a way to such an arrangement, they would find no heartier friends than tho Unionists. It was the consummation of a policy for which they had constantly'striven. But even such a treaty, continued Mr. Balfour, could hardly affect the Navy's future, for Britain was not building ships against America, and he was not awaro that any European Power would be prepared to enter into Mr. Taft s scheme. Food-Supply in War Time. Owing to Mr. Haldano's indiscretion, they knew, on the authority of Admiral Sir A. Wilson, the First Sea Lord, that the protection of food supplies and raw materials was a subject which was causing tho Admiral the greatest anxiety. Doubtless Mr. M'Kenna endorsed Admiral Wilson's view. Mr. Balfour concluded by • declaring that tho provision of battleships, in view of possiblo contingencies in 1914, was inadequate. A MENACE TO PEACE. LABOUR PARTY PROTEST. London, March 16. The Parliamentary Labour Party has issued a manifesto protesting against the huge Naval Estimates, as being a menace to international peace. THE RIVAL FLEETS. Although Mr. M'Kenna stntes that he . does not accept -Mr t Lee's estimate of tho.

position in 191-1, no alternative statement has yet been supplied since the Estimates were tabled. On March 11. Jlr. il'Kcnna stated that in tlio spring nf Ifll-J, the British and German Dreadnoughts would compare as under:— Great Britain !lfl Germany '-1 British margin 9 Four Austrian and six Italian ships are under construction or projected. Tlio "Daily Mail Year-Book" states that four of the Italian vessels, and tivo of the Austrian ones will be completed at the end of 11)13. which would therefore givo tho comparison for tho beginning of 1!>14: Great Britain .'>o Triple Alliance '-7 British margin '. 3