PEACE & BATTLESHIPS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1986, 17 February 1914, Page 5

PEACE & BATTLESHIPS.

"TWO KEELS'TO ONE."

GRAVE VIEW OF NAVY WAisUfi!

The gravity of the naval'position with which England is likely to be confronted about the beginning of 1916 is set out m, what ,the Navy League terms "A New Year Message, '* A copy of "Message" has' just been received in Wellington. ■ After some preliminary remarks op the situation, the "Message" as follows:—

'Under existing • programmes this country will, have 'only 30 British pro* vided capital ships in commission on March 31, 1916, against-Germany's' 26; or the margin' of exactly. 50 per cent, which the First Lord'declared in the HoUse of Commons is the minimum consistent with safety in the North S-?a. I'or the world-wide:defence'of the Empire there .will only remain the New Zealand, tho Malaya, and the Australia,, the last-named in South.'Pacific waters under the control of the Government of tho Australian Commonwealth. Austria arid--Italy .will together have ten. stlpwDreadnoUght ships on this same date in and will possess besides a'powerful fleet of-pre-Drcadnouaht. ships. '..:.' ° '.. "ItJ'as.beon'en/pkitically declared by the lurst Lord that tho three ships' contemplated in the Canadian Naval Aid Bill were essential for 'the world-wide defence of the Empire' from the banning of 1910 onward:

in view of these facts the Navy League desires to impress upon all it's members and upon- the peoples of the Empire that nothing is more vital to their Sea Power—which means their national existence—than the maintenance of a consistent-ami rational Naval policy. There is oniy one way in which it is possible to keep the Navy abor« party politics and independent of tho changing.fortunes of .parties and politicians. '1 hero is only oho wa,v to avoid degrading panics on the one ];nnd and false economy on the otter, 'ihai Way is to restore and maintain-a definite standard' of Naval strength, so that there may be no dispute, '.the old 'twoPower standard,' which served us for so long, was definitely abandoned some years ago as the result of ehanfiHo- circumstances, but has not yet Been replaced by another 'standard' adapted to'the new development of international relations." ■■•■•■

.111© Navy League has steadily advocated the adoption of the standard which is known as "tivo-kcch-to-ono"— that is, the' provision of tho two completed capital ships to every one of the next.strongest European Naval' Power— and. since no alternative-has been suggested, will continue to press for "a margin of superiority calculated upon that basis.

The Navy League, therefore, appeals to the. citizens of'the- Empire to support it in securing tho adoption of this standard, and in urging that the necessary financial provision be made by Parliament to achieve its requirements itfc the- earliest possible'- moment. This standard of pdwer can be reached in 1920 by tho Government laying down sis capital ships each, year up to and including 1918. and' by taking immediatesteps to replace the. ships contemplated in tho Canadian "Naval Aid Bill." Only by the adoption of a definite standard and by rigid adherence to its principles can tlie safety of tlie Empire be permanently assured.