The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER MONDAY, MAY 12, 1913. THE NAVY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 5, 12 May 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER MONDAY, MAY 12, 1913. THE NAVY.

The statement made 'by Mr Winston Churchill when he introduced the Naval Estimates, in the House of Commons recently, that every year the great nations of Christendom not only make ousolete the lioets of their rivals, but also make obsolete their own fleets, lias attracted world-wide attention. Mr Churchill went on to say that all this was without adding in the least either to their actual security or relative strength, and that the nations are in the position of half a dozen competing manufacturers, each of whom each year is perpetually scrapping and renewing his plant without adding either to the volume or the profits of his business. Then Mr Churchill said; “There was, however, one way out, which would cause no alteration in the relative strength of navies. Why, he asked, should not all the countries of the world take a naval holiday for a year as far as naval construction was concerned , As for ourselves, our resources and powers of construction were unsurpassed. ‘We shall do our utmost to preserve that leadership in design which is no less necessary to naval supremacy than preponderance in numbers. It is no appeal of weakness, panting behind, which we make, but of strength, striding on in front. It is .an appeal which we address to all nations, and to no nation with more profound sincerity than to mir great neighbours over the North Sea. Great Britain could not afford to allow another naval Power to approach her so nearly as to be able to deflect or restrict her political action by purely naval pressure. Such a situation would unquestionably lead to war.” The Westminster Gazette considers the suggestion should

set people thinking and says that possibly the lime is coming when the Concert of Europe, which has shown itself capable of acting effectively on one great European issue, may turn its attention to another which is of scarcely less importance. The “New Yorks World” asks why not take a naval holiday, if only for

a year, as an experiment, as being precisely the kind of bargain that'!’ in his own affairs any thinking man _ would welcome; he would save his money, he would husband his resources. “Why cannot two nations like Germany and Great Britain be equally sane? Why should the offer of a naval holiday he dangerous because it is reasonable? Do the greatest Powers in Europe propose to plead they are bankrupt in intelligence as a preliminary to becoming financially bankrupt through the folly of militarism?” Mr James Speyer, the great banker, in a letter expresses the opinion that no more progressive proposal for the welfare of humanity has been propounded by any modern statesman, in that it is both daring and splendid and will have the full support of humanitarians. Berlin’s reception of the First Lord of the Admiralty’s proposals is not encouraging to those labouring for a more complete understanding between England and Germany. - The point of view of the German Admiralty is understood to be that England can build a ship in two years, but Germany requires three years. The loss of a year would therefore mean more to her than to England. It would mean that the strength laid down by the Navy Law could not be carried out by the appointed time. Mr Churchill asked for £46,300,000 for the Navy, and promised further demands if necessary. He gave this statement with regard to the relative strength of Great Britain and Germany in the matter of Dreadnoughts:— Ye® 1 . Germany. Britain

1915 ... 23 ... 41 1916 ... 26 ... 46 1917 ... 26 . ... 48 This excludes the Canadian ships. The* Canadian ships or their equivalent are absolutely necessary after 1915 for the “whole world service of the British Empire.” An Imperial Patrol made up of the Dominion ships which ho proposed he based on Gibraltar—to be moved rapidly and swiftly to any part of the Empire so as to respond to policy, .was one of the features of the programme. The above was briefly outlined in cable messages we published some weeks ago, but with New Zealand in our waters naval matters are specially interesting-to us all just, now.- ' i •. : I . -