The Dominion THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1915. A NATIONAL MINISTRY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2466, 20 May 1915, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1915. A NATIONAL MINISTRY

The rumours of impending changes in the British Cabinet and the definite statement by the Pall Mall Gazette, regarding sharp differences of opinion .between Mr. Winston Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty) and Lord Fisher (First Sea Lord) appear to have solid foundation in fact. There can be no reasonable doubt that friction has occurred, and fuller particulars will be anxiously awaited in all parts of the Empire. The points in dispute have nothing whatever to do with the tightness of the cause for which the Empire has gone to war or with the need of putting every ounce of power into the fight in order to bring it to a triumphant conclusion. On these and all other fundamental questions Mr. Churchill and Lord Fisher, like all others in authority, are absolutely at one. "■ But it seems that the two heads of the Admiralty have not been in agreement as far as certain aspects of the naval operations are concerned. Both of them hold strong opinions and both are men of determination and force of character. AVho is to decide when two officials holding positions of great responsibility differ on matters of vital importance at a great crisis like the present? On broad general questions of naval policy it is right and reasonable that the decisive word should be spoken by the Government itself or bv its representatives on the Board of Admiralty, but custom and common sense demand that the advice of the naval experts should prevail as regards the details of the operations necessary for giving effcct to the will of tho nation. Civilian interference in matters of tactics and strategy may have disastrous consequences. It. is the duty of the Government to hand over tho control of the actual fighting to men who have made n, life study of the practical and theoretical problems of warfare, and who know the machine thev have at their disposal. Having selected th'c best experts available for this work, tho Government ought to place entire confidence in them, and to give them every opportunity of devising ancl carrying out the plan of campaign which thev_ consider most likely to result in victory. Mr. Churchill has very pronounced ideas of his own and he certainly has the courage of his" convictions. It is this confidence in himself that has more than once laid him open to the charge of having overstepped the boundaries of his legitimate sphere of activity. His tendency to forget that he is not an accepted naval expert, but merely tho civil head of the Admiralty, was bound to result in a clash sooner or later. It now appears to have led to the resignation of Lord Fishek, and it is no doubt partly due to this unfortunate disagreement that the Government has at last been led to see the wisdom of a reconstruction of the Cabinet and the formation of a National Ministry. At a time like the present all individual likes and dislikes, and all party and sectional interests must bo subordinated to the supreme object of defeating the Empire's enemies. It is essential that all who occupy positions of responsibility should work together in harmony in order to achieve this great end.

In view of the meagreness of the information available at time of writing, and the absence of official confirmation, it would be unwise to Jump to any hasty conclusions. But it certainly seems quite clear that "two strong personalities" at the Admiralty have found it difficult, if not impossible, to work together. It I must be assumed that the Pall Mall | Gazette has authority for the ani nounoement that Lord Fisher has resigned. It is to be hoped that his decision to leave the Admiralty is not final and irrevocable. The nation has the greatest confidence in the ability and judgment of the First Sea Lord. The action of the Government in calling him back to the Admiralty soon after the outbreak of hostilities met with general approval. It was obviously in the interests of the Empire that his great experience should be placed at its disposal in this day of trial. His previous work at the Admiralty was characterised by a thoroughness which was at.times rather embarrassing to the Government, but it has been emphatically justified by subsequent events. He has been described as "the youngest man of 73 in England to-day," and no one is entitled to speak with greater authority on matters relating to the Navy. Any Minister would take a tremendous responsibility on his shoulders who ventured to overrule the advice of such a man on any question of naval strategy. It has been hinted on more than one occasion that Mr. Chi'RCKH.l's inclination to assume the role of the expert was likely to lead to trouble. He is said to have been responsible for the dispatch of the unfortunate naval expedition to Antwerp which evoked a considerable amount of adverse criticism at I he time, and it was then suggested that hi' should refrain from interference with I he tactical side of the war. He was, however, able to make an effective, if not an entirely convincing, reply to his critics. H.is keenness and outstanding ability are admitted by fair-minded men of all parties, and there is some .justification for l.lir, furling thill, Uinl's li:ir liwn h , tinge oi political p_ai"t«ansljij , i in

some of the criticism directed against him. One would be inclined to pay little attention to mere rumours of friction at the Admiralty, but if it is a fact that Loud Fisher has felt compelled to resign because of civilian interference, Parliament and people will insist upon prompt measures being taken to meet the situation. Whether the incident will lead to the reconstruction of the Ministry on a national basis is not yet absolutely certain, but there is every appearance of such a change being in sight. The I'nll Mall Gazette, on the Unionist side, declares that this step has become necessary, and the Daihj Chronicle, a leading Liberal newspaper, states that a National Ministry is actually being formed. As soon as the war commenced the Unionist leaders assured the Government of their whole-hearted support, and it is understood that the Ministry has taken them into its confidence on raanv important matters. In this way ttio aefvantages of a National Government have been already largely scoured, but if a rearrangement of portfolios is now to take place the time would be opportune for creating a Cabinet in which all political parties would be actually represented. A National Ministry was set up in Franee at the beginning of the war, and public opinion is now demanding that a similar course should be followed in Britain. The whole Empire would feel more satisfied if Lord Fisher were, broadly speaking, placed iri a position at the Admiralty equivalent to that occupied by Lord Kitchenek at the War Officc.