The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1912. THE NAVY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1542, 11 September 1912, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1912. THE NAVY.

The summary of Me. Churchill's now memorandum on Admiralty organisation will not be readily comprehended by the general public, which is vory likely to lose itself in tho maze of thoso functions and responsibilities of which the management of tho Navy is made up. The lhomorandum is a sequel to the memorandum upon the now Naval War Staff which Mr. Churchill issued last January, and establishes a further sorting-out of the functions proper to the different, members of the Board of Admiralty. Anybody can realise that the mere "business" side of the Navy, tho mere financial management of it, is a vast affair, for the Navy is perhaps the largest institution upon earth. But, this is only ono of the smaller problems. The Navy is not what men call "a going concern": it is difforcnt from all other "concerns" in this, that its maintenance and development involve grcafci and changing factors. Ships begin to grow obsolescent as soon as they are designed, and before a penny has been spent upon them. Invention is constantly altering the whole shape of the situation into which an individual ship is projected. The naval activities of other nitioni, 9.ud ihn politir.il developments in other aatioas, are.

constantly effecting changes in the situation which the Navy, tho Itotal of tho individual ships, must be shaped to meet. A favourite phrase of the opponents of the naval energy to which Mr. Chuhchill Iwb committed himself and his Government is: "Armaments must follow policy." This phraso, used by the Radicals to support their opposition to a large Navy, is to the Admiralty an axiomatic statement. Tho designer of ships,_ tho designer of ordnance, the men in charge of the "war plans" and those in charge of the "war arrangements" are compelled to wort insido a limited area. They are-cir-cumscribed by the policy of Great Britain. The most that can be done is to effect such a reorganisation of the Admiralty as will raise the Navy management to its highest efficiency within that limit. Mr. Churchill's memorandum has been applauded as warmly by such little-Navy and antiImperialist journals as the Daily News as by the Times and tho Daily .Mail. Tho most striking comment is that of the Times, which notes that the changes are in line with the genius of the Admiralty for "effective administration and a native aptitude for evolviryj/ new organs as circumstances require them. Although there have been many rumours of late years concerning internal dissensions and jealousies in the Navy, there has never been any reason for suggesting that amongst naval men thero have been disputes of _ any political kind. Conflicting opinions upon, naval affairs, and a badly-oiled administration, have been responsible for such quarrels as have been seen or suspected. By dividing the work of management into its natural parts, Mr. Churchill will relieve himself of nearly everything save that supreme overseorship which will best serve tho nation's interests. In a recent article Mr. Alan Burooyne, M.P., suggests that Mr. Churchill should drop every interest excepting; the Navy, but he fears that that is impossible. Atthe same time the new First Lord is obviously throwing himself with all his heart into his naval duties. He has already succeeded in forcing the Navy upon the British public's and the Imperial public's notico to a degree never before achieved, or, indeed, attempted. This is all to the good. In time, wo wish we could say in a short time, he may even lead the Government of this country to properly realise that New Zealand has'duties and responsibilities.