AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1651, 18 January 1913, Page 6

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

COMING OF THE FLEET,

(Bv Wir,t Lawbon.)

On tho first day of this year, 11.M.5. Drake, up to that -date the flagship of tho Australasian fleet, sailed out of Sydney Harbour, bound tor England. She is the last Imperial flagship in those waters, except that until-July of this year Ad- ; miral Sir George King-Hall will hoist his •flag in tho Cambrian—that is, until the . Dreadnought cruiser Australia arrives. ■ Then tho Australian navy will'have becomo an efl'ectivo unit, with a ship at ! its head which in point of armament could blow the Drake out of the water—, ! and sho is no duckling. The Australian navy will then bo com- | posed of the following ships:—The Dreadnought cruiser Australia, 19,200 ions; | speed, 2G knots; length, 578 feet; beam, 79ft. Gin.; draught, 28feet; armament, ] eight 12-in. guns, sixteen 4-in. guns. The protected cruisers Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, sister ships, of ,5600 tons; speed 27 knots; length, 430, feet; beam, 48ft. 6in.;'draught, 15 feet; armament, eight 6-in. guns, four 3-pounders. .Tor- , pedo-boat destroyers, Ynrra, Parramatta, and Marrego, of 700 tons; speed, 26 knots; length, 215 feet; beam, 24ft. 3in.; draught, Bft. 9in.; armament, ono 4-in. gun, three 12-pounders, and threo torpedo-tubes. -There are also being built at the Government Dockyard on Cockatoo Island, Sydney, three more of this class of boat which will be named the Denvent, Swan, and Torrens. .Coming out fvom England shortly, two submarines of 800 tons will be stationed at Melbourne and Sydneyone at each. port. ■'..■. " These are the new ships. In addition there are threo naval' reserve training ships, tho Protector, 920 tons; Gayundah, 3GO tons; and Palumn, 3GO tons—old-timers all; the Protector, was bought by the South Australian' Government.in 1885, during tho Russian war scare and was then the most powcrfully-armecj, ship of her size in tho world—she. was an experiment. Durin» the Boxer rebellion, the Protector took the Australian contingent of seamen and Marino Light Infantry to China. The Paluma and Geymidah belonged, to Queensland, where they were used as revenuo gun-boats in connection with the pearl fisheries. The fleet also includes two torpedo-boats, tho Childers, 47 tons; and Countess of Hopetoun, 75 tons. Last comes the training ship Tingira, of 1800 tons, formerly thfe §opraon". The scheme for the Australian Navy is based on the recommendations nia<To bv Admiral Henderson, two years ago, and when carried out in full the fleet 'will consist of 52 ships, requiring 15,000 men, It is the recruiting and training of these men which constitutes the most important part,of tho business.' As the Australian Naval Ofnte puts it, "it is from the human element, that the Ships will derive their value as combataiit factors from a naval defence point of view." The entry and training of.boys arid men, shortly put, is as follow:—(a) As boys be- • tween tho ages of. Hi and IG, to carj-y out 12' months' training in H.M.A. ship Tingira (moored in Sydney Harbour) and then to'be sent to a sea-going.. ship to, complete training. "After-undergoing a preliminary coiirsc, specially-selected boys will bo placed in an advanced class to receivo further training, (b) As men .between .the ages of 17 and 25, to engage . for short or seven years— :nrid to- be entered as ordinary seamen or as stokers of tho second clas9; those under tho age of -18 aro rated ordinary seamen of tho second-class. The training of ordinary seamen and second-class stokers, includes a short course of instruction in, naval barracks beforo going, to sea;- '■ - '•■■•,-■ ' - ' , Tho-rato of pay may bo gauged from ; this brief summary of tho wages of the stamen of tho crew:—First year: O.S, <£5d 15s. active pay and dCl3°-13s/ 9d. deferred pay; second year: .£73 and ,£lB 14s. 7d.j tilled year: .£77 lis. 3d. ,and £10 7s.>Bd,. Tlio deferred pay is a. sum which is banked by the Naval Board, ,1J per cent, being guaranteed, and At the conclusion of the term of s6rvice, Ihe'nian may take.a life annuity or- the sum accumulated in cash. Commander Brownlow is tho District Naval Officer at Sydney, and'ho says that tho,applications lor enrolment-aro so\ numerous that recruiting, except to meet anyvspceifio and unusually heavy call for .men/ is unnecessary. This ■ month recruiting will bo necessary/ as nearly 200 Australians went Homo in t/ho' Drake to bring the Australia out.' These were chieily:drawn from,the Imperial ships ■still ,in ; 'these "waters. Thotfull comple-ment'-of the Australia will bo over '800 men;-therefore recruiting will bo carried on for a.few weeks. In that timo it is expected that enough will havo been .secured. : ' '.' : ' • '■'

Commander Brownlow, liko many other (rood Australians,; is disappointed that New Zealand has not yet joined with Australia in this' schenjo of' naval defence,. though' he does' not despair that .before .lo'ng.sho will—perhaps Mr. Allen will ariraivjo .. something %hen at Home. Even if New Zealand'inly added her own ship— the Dreadnought, crniservNow Zealand— to the .Australian squadron, it would be. a .magnificent i; start, for a country of '1,003,000 souls,,and the .annual subsidy at present paid to tho'lmperial Navy would maintain' this warship. >.Jt was from no lack of patriotism that Australia decided to build her own flr-et. The idea cman..nfad from tho British'. Admiralty, and New, Zealand .will bo well, advised to understand,': -".this fact—England desires the antipodean: dependencies of. hers to become self-defensive, even more than we

do ourselves, and it certainly .reams farcical that while Australia, with her own fleet is patrolling' her coasts, the Admiralty has still to send a ship or two to keep un appsarances.on the New Zealand oeast. How much better, for Now Zealand to have her battle-cruiser in her own waters than away in' China, whero it is proposed jto send her. - ';• Hero; on the spot, one realises that this Australian Nary is to be a very real nnd useful weapon of war, as well as providing n fine avenue of training and emnloyment

for her young'men and boys, who otherwise are too, prone to drift aimlessly through life.'' To see them at drill, in their white,uniforms with ualo, blue facings, is nn\ eye-opener.' The Imperial Navv. officers who have'had Australians in: their crews say that they are just as good as tlfe Imperial man, and often better—and "aval, officers are not- mincer's of words. There is. therefore, overv reason

to believe that they are as' good. In a later article it is hoped to. give a sketch of: an Australian cruiser at sea, gun practice, and steam /trials. Meantime, nil i thoughtful Australians look forward earnestly to the day when New Zealand will join them in this patriotic movement.,