The Dominion SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1918. CHANGES AT THE ADMIRALTY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 146, 9 March 1918, Page 6

The Dominion SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1918. CHANGES AT THE ADMIRALTY

It is natural that the retirement of so distinguished a sailor as Lord Jellicoe as First Sea, Lord of the Admiralty' should.give rise to a great deal of speculation, and also that it should occasion some uneasiness. , The ' discussion.. in. the Bouse of Commons recorded to-day does not throw very_ much light on the reasons underlying the cnangc, but it does make it clear that it was brought about-on the recommendation of Sir Eric Geddes, who succeeded Sir Edward Carson as First Lord of the Admiralty. Sir Eric Geddes has gained a reputation for getting to the heart of things, and it is plain that his experiences as_ head of the Admiralty convinced him that in spite of his freat gifts and his great services ord Jellicoe lacked certain of the qualifications required in the First Sea-Lord of the Navy .of to-day. It obviously nrast have been a distasteful task for anyone in 'the circumstances which existed to propose a; course .which must lead to the retirement.of one who had served his country;so long, so devotedly ■and so ably; and it-says• much for .the., courage .and :senso of'duty. of .Sir-.ErK; Geddes:.that; he. should'; have: acted---with such - decision., Sir Edward CarsiJn regards the change as a national calamity; Sir Eric Geddes believes the- change to be in the best' interests .of the country. Between these opinions there is no room for/compromise, but it may. be said ..that in spite of. Sir.. Edward Carson's most emphatic denunciation of the change; there is a very strong opinion in well-informod circles in England that it will ultimately work for tho good of the Navy. This does not mean that any doubt is cast on the undoubted value of Lord Jellicoe's great services in the past; it merely means that under the changed and rapidly changing. conditions of. naval warfare Lord Jellicoe is not the man best suited for the position of First. Sea Lord. The change has' been described as- not so much a change of personnel at the Admir-. alty as_ a change of policy.' The Timesj in commenting on the situation in December //last,;' remarked that it. was_ not surprising if men whose .'experience- and' character had been shaped'.under an older system, built up during a ; long, period of peace, should have found it impossible to keep pace with a yousgler : generation which has. grown up in an atmosphere of discoveries arid professional revolution.-. ■ This younger school has gradually' come to the front, and the changes under review.are deemed to be an evidence that the-men of this, school are to have their chance..

The country, said "The Times," without quite, knowing what was wrong, has vaguely felt that all was not well at the Admiralty. The repeated minor raids made by the enemy on the East Coast, and especially on tho coast of Kent, during the early part of the year, shook tho public faith. These episodes wore not in themselves of great importance, but in spite of fluent .and not very convincing official explanations tho feeling grew that they should never have happened. . . . Men wondered why the enemy should to able to do these daring things while we did comparatively little either to prevent them-or to'retaliate There is no secret now of the preponderating opinion in tho Royal Navy that a free hand and a more aggressive policy would have produced very different results.

This lack of a sufficiently aggressive policy has been also a ground of complaint in connection, with the campaign against the • submarines. Our younger seamen, we aro told, are convinced that they can entirely overcome the submarine peril if they receive the free hand which' they have never yot been granted. With the retirement of LoitD Jellicoe and the consequential and additional changos expected to follow the day of the 7 younger men is said to have dawned. They are to have their chance. Tho war has been.described as a young man's war. Tho Army, has been revolutionised by the rapid advancement of comparatively young men to high posts. Now the Navy, which is naturally conservative in outlook and practice, is to be given over more large-' ly than ever Deforo, to the younger generation. It is no reflection, after all, on the older men. They in their clay and under the conditions to which they were accustomed rendered service which has made the nation their debtors. What must not be overlooked is that in tho earlier stages of the war, when the Grand Fleet was the only ■ guarantee against the invasion of Britain and tho only protection for the sea operations of the whole of the Allies, caution and security were essential. The Grand Fleet could not be replaced if .losfc-if any. great disaster happened-to it the .causes of the Allies"would hayo fallen- to.' the ground. To-day the situation is

changed. Greater risks can bo taken with a larger margin bi safety tu rely on in the event of failure. So we have the call for new men for the changed conditions. There is one ground at least which justifies us in viewing these changes with confidence, and that is the fact that they are designed to give greater liberty of action to the fighting forces of the Navy—the men on whom the final issue of the contest for sea supremacy..must rest.