THE NAVY DEBATE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1082, 22 March 1911, Page 5

THE NAVY DEBATE.

MERCHANTMEN- AS CRUISERS.' : LORD C BERESFORD SAYS MORE CRUISERS ARE NEEDED. REPLY BY THE FIRST LORD. By Telegraph—Press Association—Oopyrielit (Rec. March 21, 10.15 p.m.) London, March 21. The debate on the Naval Estimates was', continued in the House o£ Commons today. Admiral Lord Charles Bercsford, Union-, ist member for Portsmouth, declared that! Germany would have 33 capital ships iuj 1927, probably 38 since sho must continue building owing to the money invested inJ yards and armament factories, and the' number of workmen employed. j 'Thirty-one new British cruisers were nsf quired to cope with the merchant Bhips' which other nations claimed the right to, arm. ' Mr. M'Kcnna, First Lord of the Adrair-j ally, admitted the possibility of Lordi Charles Beresford's contentions, but said] they must await events. If merchant ships were commissioned by foreign Powcre Great Britain would prove fully equal to j the emergency. The time to consider how to act would be when the emergency arose.' i la the abovo'tho most feasible inter-' pretation has been placed upon tho cable' message received from tho Press Associa-i tion. That message stated that in "1907" : Germany would have "33, possibly 58 capital ships." A portion of Mr. Miven-na'e speech was received in unintelligible- form,! and has been omitted.