PROPHET UNHONOURED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 297, 11 September 1919, Page 5

PROPHET UNHONOURED

LORD FISKER ON NAVAL 'REFORM ! VIGOROUS CRITICISM OF REACTION ARIES By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright London," September 8. . t Lord Fisher, continuing his criticism of the Admiralty, says that reactionaries derided the. battle-cruisers. "'Meddlers likewise liiliciileil the plans for the great uruiftda of 012 ships, authorised by Mr. Llovd George, as Chancellor of the Excheuuer (in 1015),- for landing a million. Russian soldiers 82 milts from Berlin. He had definitely outlined "amphibian monsters, proof against weather, shot, mine, and torpedo, able-to hold, masses of men.' .guns, horses, and uidtpivaud ploughing their way like .huge-hippot- j ami. and 'crawling from the. shores ; like tanks. Oil endues would hare done ; it. The internal combustion engine will vet revolutionise commerce and-alter the whole art of sea war. Every nation but j ourselves is pushing ahead with tho iu- ; tenia] combusrion engine." ; A. drastic scrapping of warships is, saya ■lord' Fisher, necessary for tho very life ! of the nation. "There- is a silly crowd .who want tho Navy dispersed all over the ! ■world: but nothing is more deadly than, : a peace dispersal. Perfection.'.'SsJ'n.'Ta 1 , . hie Fleet." ••• -.;.-: : The mission of battle-cruisers was totally unannrcci.-ited until tho Invincible's ■ coup against von Spec's squadron. If ' the Mediterranean battle-cruisers had ;t>ecn sent, the Goeben and the Brcslau. ; 'would not have escaped, 'Turkey would '-. \ not. have intervened, there would have ~, been no Gallipoli, the Baltic would have been occuiiied. and Russians, landing on ; the Pomeranian Beach, as covered' by the British Fleet, would have captured Dor- ;' lin. ■'.■• Lord Fisher declares that the most striking feature of the pre-war period was ridicule of the cost of submarines. Thev wore regarded as toys. A young submarine commander, , during British : manoeuvres, torpedoed tho "hostile" Admiral three times, and claimed the ship as a urizfe. Tho Admiral signalled back, "You bo damned."—"Tho Times." REDUCING THE NAVY. (Rec. .September 11, 1 a.m.) London, September 10. The Admiralty has ordered the.homo fleet battleships and the fourth and fifth: I "destroyer flotillas to bo reduced to, the reserve basis on October 11. A similar reduction will be effected in the tventioth flotilla, after its' return from the Baltic. ; The submarine flotillas attached to the Atlantic fleet'would be reduced to three, —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. '-...-■:■ ' . THE NORTH BARRAGEAMERICA'S CLAIM TO CREDIT. '. Portland (Oregon), September' 9. Mr. Daniels claimed that the mine barrage in the North Sea was laid largely bv tho Ainorican Navy. The Allies wera at, first fearful whether it was possible, but President Wilson called'a special conference of tho naval heads to suggest the utmost means to destroy the submai rine nicnuce.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.