The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1914 THE MARGIN OF SAFETY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2008, 16 March 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1914 THE MARGIN OF SAFETY.

■ The criticism of tie BHlislt Navy Estimates is contc.Htrittiiig ep the absence of any provision, for making good the 'deficiency of the t,hi : ce Canadian warships, ancl m. the.iailute of the Government to increase the strength of tho Blictliterraßea.n fleet. ■It' is strongly .cofttcrtcted by those desirous of maintaining a thoroughly'safe margin of naval superiority, that the Canadian vessels ought not to be considered in thfi reckoning of the 60 per cent, bftsis of sitperfority in Dreadnoughts when compared with the next strofigesti iraval Pe*ei', whereas those in iavdtir of keeping down the expenditure on afroaiTicnts argue that if these contributed ships are not counted the 69 per cent standard becomes urtmosriing for foreign nations, and they approve of the action of the Government in not augmenting its programme *" make up for the_ non-agp<;arahc6 of the Canadian ships.. The history <sf Canada's offer gocshack to the year' >1912 when tho Prime Minister of that Dominion (Ms. Borben), after consultation with the British authorities, proposed that Canada .shoulfj find £7,000,000 for the fioiietrucfcion of throe of the "largest and atrofigest ships of war lh.it scienco 'can builil or monoy supply." They wpib to \>t: constructed in Britain, and were to lioeomn piirt of tfe Juiporial Navy, with the provisio that .Oatoda should have the right to'recall, them to her own waters if she thought lit, to do so. Both political partitis in Canada admit that tlie ooivntvy must accept responsibility for its share of the defence of the Empire, but there is great difference of opinion as to <•■•« form its. contribution should

take i, .and, the Bill giving effect to Mb, Bqrobn's pvopossl met with much opposition from the Liberal tarty. It was read a third time in the House on May is, 1913, but was subsequently rejected by the Senate. Mb. Borden has not abandoned tho Bill, but its progress has been blocked tor th« present. In a very clear summary of ths' position the London Olmr-Hr points out that Mr, Churchill has placed oa record that Britain's 60 per cent superiority in Dreadnoughts ia to be maintained quite apart ihxn any- , n, L, ° oVetS6as TOoßiinions may do. There should be a superiority of three to two over the next strongest nnvai tWf fe British waters, which would, leave 10 per cent, of tho ma*gn»j toother with any ships which the Dominions might provide, «»r the _ defeaw of the '"wholoworld mtortets of the Empire, including the Mediterraneaii. In the Admiralty s memorandum to the Canadian Government which resulted in Mr. Borden's offer it was mentiooed that the three ships would be ■absoltitEhf required- for the defence ot the wholc-woi>ld intefosts of. the Empire train im onwards," and that, 'whatever; may be the decision of Unada at this jimctijje, the British Uvcfrnment will mt fail to make provision lot the defence of the oversea Dominitms of the k r . OW H- . Vi is f air to eonehide from th-ra that if these three ships are .absolutely reqwircd" by 1.958, and if Unada does not supply them, they ought tp.be added to t&» Mother Oounteys shipbuilding programiwe. Ato were not intended to enable the ijjitisii Gavernmeat to veduce its BavTi] expenditure by dittiinisliina its shipbuilding responsibilities, but en Bupplenjent the efforts of Great Sritiiin to .place ths Imperial Navy in an unassailab-lq position, This seems' to bo Mr. OavucaiiL's personal oj-intoa, judging by some of his wroraneeg, but the pressure from the "Little Navy , '' section of the \?wernmcnt'3 supporters las no det*bt cofnpeikd him to rcditcc his demands on the Treasury, "Tho Suieido Club."—a.s soejo of the English newspapers call the leaders of the agitation for a decrease in the lavy Estimates—has not bees able to-have it all its own way, b-ut these agjtattors are too powerful to be cfltirely ignored, and the-.present Estimates ate no doubt the result d a eompfoiHiso, Mn. Chuixc-Hill's position is at present a difiicult one. and he desirvcg a deal of sympathy in his battle for-a strong- fleet. 5-e fully recqjflisestfe vital ittiportancsof ffiaintaiijing ajt adequate margin of naval stfperiority, and no o-fis knows hotter, than he docs tfciii I it would be suicidal for .Britain to fail, to keep pace with tlie efforts of' . o-thcl , . nations. The present sfcraiaed relations' betwsftn Eussia and Ger- ! niany, arid- the irtflamni-atoi:y articks' . which are appearing in sonae of the ■ Cofitine-ntal ne-wspa]3M - s, arfe- a. sharp, .restainder thafc the era- of UJjiviirsat peace is yet a long way off,. The ; Bourse QazeUe, in n menacing arii-; ■cle, states that "Eussian tlesi*cs -a'-re for peace, but she is ready" ;• and in the presen-ii state o£ internatiofaJil Affairs the n-atipn that is not ready praetieally invites attack.