MORE SHIPS NEEDED.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1659, 28 January 1913, Page 7

MORE SHIPS NEEDED.

BRITISH NAVY 1

BUYING OF DREADNOUGHTS

URGED.

B» TelearaDh—Pren Asßoolatlon-OoDyrtuhi London, January 20. Lord Beresford, speaking at Birmingham, urged that the Government should at any cost acquire the five foroign Dreadnoughts now building in England, and lay down six new ships in 1913,

THE SIXTY PER CENT. MARGIN,

INCREASED FOREIGN BUILDING. This year-late in the year-the Admiralty will lay down five large armoured ships, besides cruisers and torpedo craft. It has been suggested, Temorks tho London Daily _ Telegraph," that in view of the offers of the Dominions, the programme of shipbuilding might be reduced. What, asks our contemporary, is the naval outlook?.

Mr. Churchill stated in March what the aim of the naval authorities has been in recent years.

The actual standard in new construction . .|. ;. has been to devolep aGO per cent, superiority in vessels of the Dreadnought type over the German Navy law ■ ' ls . " le existing fleet

•We are able for the present," he added, to adhere to so moderate a standard bemuse of our great superiority in vessels ot the pre-Dreadnought era. . . The Tirst Lord has "also uttered two warnings which are infinitely more imperative to-day than they -were earlier in tho year. He said:

(a) As these pre-Dreadnought vessels igradually decline m relative fighting value, our ratio of new construction will heye to rise above the 60"per.cent, .stanTj° "formation which has reached the Admirnhtjr seems to indicate," Mr. Churchill added, in July, "that one of the Mediterranean. Powers is contemplating another considerable naval programme If this information should, prove to be correct, it would constitute a new fact requiring prompt attention, and not included m any of thp'forecasts I have given of future navql: cpnstruotion," ' . ''

ITALIAN AND AUSTRIAN SCHEMES,

_It is now known that not "one of the Mediterranean Powers," but both AustriaHungary and Italy,' are embarking upon naval programmes. , Thus the event which Mr. Churchill ndmitted would constitute "a new fact requiring pronipt attention" confronts us, yi'h this, difference/ that. not. one but the two Mediterranean Powers are committed iu. en " s ' l1 P' )ul l < 'i n 5 proposals, "he Dominion ships must be regarded, as Mr. Asqmth has declared, as an additional margin of. safety, or a great act of dishonour against the Imperial spirit will have been committed. 1: .; ; ■- . . . Without adopting any unreasonable forecast, tlie position next summer', excluding the Dominion vessels, will probably be as fng.— ln or actuall r- buildGreat Britain Noi ° f s fP 3 -, Germany 26 1 Hal? . 8 Austria 5 ' ' - . 89. There is no i assuranco of British superiority in: rapidity of construction, as rerent retardation i has shown. Labour deiayg in. the United Kingdom owing to B future are.-not a posability, but a probabilijty.