ARMED MERCHANT SHIPS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1504, 29 July 1912, Page 5

ARMED MERCHANT SHIPS.

CANADIAN DEPARTURE. SIX FAST CONVERTIBLE SHIPS. FLEET AUXILIARIES. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyrißkt (liec. July 28, S.S p.m.) London, July 27. The Toronto correspondent of "The Times" states that Camilla's naval oiler includes four convertible armed ships of 25 knots speed, to bo built for the Cana-dian-Pacific' Railway, anil two smaller vessels of similar speed, now building for the Vancouver-Japan service. FAST ATLANTIC SERVICE. WHOLE MATTER TO BE GONE I INTO. (Eec. July 28, 5.5 p.m.) London, July 27. An influential deputation urged the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Borden, to consider the establishment of a fast Atlantic service from Blacksod Bay, in County Mayo, Ireland, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a connecting Pacific service to Australasia. , Mr. Borden said the whole question of increased transportation between Great Britain, Canada, and Australasia -would receive tlio earliest consideration" on his return to Canada. . FRENCH-CANADIAN SUPPORT. "LA PATRIE" CHANGES FRONT. (Bee. July 28, 5.5 p.m.) Ottawa, July 27. Surprise is caused at the change of attitude of "La Patric," tho leading French-Canadian journal of Montreal, which is now praising Mr. Borden, and declaring that tho Canadian people are certain to approve his policy of- aiding Great Britain's Navy, on the ground that Canada will incontestably derive enormous beneiits through her association with Great Britain, FLEET AUXILIARIES. PRESENT POSITION IN THE NAVY. Tho question of merchant auxiliary cruisers was discussed in tho. Jlouso of Lords a little over a year ago. Lord Brasso'y, tho woll-known naval authority, remarked' upon the increased danger to British shipping from tho conversion of foreign merchant steamers into cruisers. We .had a vast shipping to protect. The steamers over 2000 tons on Lloyd's Register numbered 2GOO under the British flag, as against Germany, 270; France, 07; the United Slates, 38. He was serving at tho Admiralty at tho time of the Penjdeh incident. In view of the possibility of an immediate declaration of war with Russia the Admiralty was compelled to take up vessels at home and abroad. They were severely criticised, but tho expenditure was inevitable. The reasons were . given by an eminent shipowner, the late Mr. Ismay, in evidence before a Royal Commission. He stated that at the commencement of tho Russian scare gieat temptations were offered to tho owners of tho White Star steamers running tetweeiii San Francisco and Japan. Our wholo commerce in the Pacific, he added, would have been transferred to the tlag of the United States if that offer hail been accepted, The lessons of tho Russian scaro wero not. lost on the Admiralty. In 1887, when contracts for tho mail service to New i'ork wero being renewed, tho Admiralty addressed a letter to tho Treasury, in which they urged that the stenmers subsidised to carry mails should l)o engaged for servico as cruisers. In pursuance of their recommendations, a number of vessels wero enrolled. When the Atlantic Combine was formed, we bad no hold on the ships for which subsidies had been paid. It was resolved to discontinue subsidies and to rely en the power in emergency to lake up vessels. Tho change of policy wns ill-judged. Auxiliary cruisers wero required, nndthc opportunity for supplementing our Navy cruisers with auxiliary vessels would generally offer in connection with contracts for ocean mail services. We had to suure that the subsidised vessels should be tt t'ho disposal of tho Government when required. Conditions should be insisted upon as to construction. Our ablest constructors had lx?en unanimous in tho viow that it was possible so to build auxiliary cruisers that they might havo effective protection. Our policy should to not to rely on. the Navy alone, but to organise a Reserve coftsis'tiiur of the vessels .subsidised for swift communication with the States of the outer Empire end for opeih ing up new lines of trade. Cunard Head's View. Lord Inverolydo. (head of the Cunard Company) said ho thought the causo of the trouble was that our mercantile marine was increasing at such a rate that the Navy was not able to keep paco with it. Tho shipowners were perfectly ready to .have their ships fitted to meet the requirements of the Admiralty and to be paid for the sorvices they rendered, but they did not ask to he subsidised. The Government already had a call on some fast ships, mid if it was desired to incrcaso the number he was sure the shinowners would endeavour to meet their wishes. . ... The Earl of <Jranard, in replying fo>the. Ministry, said that when this matter was first brought forward in 1887 there wero on the Atlantic trade, two ships, the Etrnria and Umbria, which wero known as ocean greyhounds. Their speed was 19 knots, and ihcee was no regular onnser with a speed under natural draught of more than 1G or 17. To-day nur regular cruisers, and those of foreign Powers, obtained a speed approximating to 23 knots, and tho onlv ships in tho mercantile marine which exceeded that speed were tho Mauretania and theLusitania, of the Cunard Company. It followed as a natural sequence that,any armed merchantman that did not exceed the speed of the fastest regular cruiser must in the course of limn fall a victim to the cruisers. Tho price paid as subsidies to the Canard Company some yeans ago exceeded JHSO.GW per'annum, in addition to an advance of J12,0n0,0f10 on advantageous terms. , The wholo question was gone into by the Cam-nra-down Committee in 100,1, winch made several suggestions villi regard to subsidies, and Mr. Arnold-Fm-ster, who thou represented.the Admiralty in the House of Commons, stated that the Admiralty would not consider the subsidy of any merchant vessel with a speed of less than "° knots. That was the policy of the Admiralty to-day. If they were to subsidise vessels' whose'speed would he comparable to' that of enii«crs to-day the expense would bo out of all proportion to the results Ihcv would receive. If Once wwy a=ked a shipping company to build o ship who-e speed was nhnve that of commercial Tcquiromonls, tho Government must pay for it. It might be said that armed mercantile e.ruis'.T.s would he of very great n'w in parts of the owaii when there were no hostile, fast cruisers, but the Admiralty contended that thev had a sufh oient number of these vessels at their disposal to-dav. Under an agreement with lilue Tntwualional Marine Company they had a right of pre-emption tV,r Hie hive or purchase of British ve-els Owned by that coinpinv, and the Admiralty could not eee their way to enlarge their Milxidies any further.