THE BRITISH NAVY

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 816, 19 March 1910, Page 3

THE BRITISH NAVY

London, March 17. A vote of ,£7,389,400 wages for the navy, was agreed to. The Hon. Lee, answering Mr Murray McDonald, member for Falkirk, said the two-Power standard was impossible if friendly nations were excluded iu the computations, because others would expect to be excluded.

Sir Charles Dilke discussed the treatment meted out to the Mulliuer firm, and declined to inform Mr McKenna whether he believed the allegations were true. Mr McKenna, after a sharp passage with Sir Charles, declared the accusations against the Admiralty were baseless.

[lt was alleged that the Admiralty excluded the Mulliuer firm from all contracts because it supplied some information regarding the rate oi Germany’s shipbuilding.] During April Sir George Reid and the Hon. W. Hall-Joues will have had an interview with the Admiralty, at which they will formally agree to the contracts for the construction of the warships on behalf of the Governments of Australia and New Zealand. The vessels will include a- number of improvements upon the Indomitable class, the nature of which is confidential at present. They will be 28-kuot ships of 18,000 tons and 570 feet long. The trials will be completed by July, 1912. The smaller cruisers, which accompany them to Australia, will not be ready before the end of 1912.