NAVAL UNITY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 80, 27 November 1912, Page 5

NAVAL UNITY.

THE EMPIRE’S FORCES,

MR LEE’S SUGGESTION

Received 9.55 a.m.) Melbourne, November 2 1. In the House, Mr Bruco-Smith asked whether correspondence had passed between Mr Fisher and the Imperial

Government regarding the changing of the arrangement regarding the Australian fleet, and securing concentrated control of the naval forces of the Empire. K' Mr Fisher replied that the Govern'ment did not consider the policy governing naval unity should he departed from,, hut that in extension of that principle of defence, he considered would bo-best for the Commonwealth, and for all parts of the Empire. No correspondence had passed with a view to changing the general policy of the Government. The question or concentration would be determined by events which cannot now be foreseen. London. November 26. Mr Arthur Lee, in a letter to the Times, suggests that the contributions hy 1 the 1 Dominions and the dependencies should he utilised to fill “the gap between,^wo keels” to one standard, and the sixty per cent, margin which the Government has already adopted. The Times interprets this suggestion at a hundred per cent, superiority of modern first-class armoured ships over the next naval Power, and urges that it is not sound strategy to use the North Sea standards as universal Imperial criticism. It would be better for Britain alone to meet all European needs. The ships contributed by the Dominions and dependencies should be ear-marked for service else--4 where. A conference should be called to decide the matter immediately.