CRITICAL NAVAL PERIOD.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 78, 6 August 1913, Page 6

CRITICAL NAVAL PERIOD.

"A ROLL OF PUTTY TO A BAR 01 STEEL."

[By Electric Telegraph—Copyright] [United Press Association.] (Received 11.15 a.m.) London, August 5.

In the House of Lords, Lord Selborne drew attention to the Government's shipbuilding proposals, quoting Messrs Asquith's and Churchill's speeches. He said they were brave words, but bore as much resemblance to Germany's, unswerving policy as a roll of putty did to a bar of steel. The year 1915 would be a critical one. If the sixty per cent margin in Home waters were maintained the Malaya and Now Zealand would be the only capital ships in the Mediterranean, and the Australia the only superDreadnought in the rest of the Empire. In substituting Dominion ships the Government failed in its duty to the Overseas Dominions. At the present moment the navy was short of a whole squadron of modern capital ships. The Lord Chancellor replied that the position was most unsatisfactory. The French fleet in the Mediterranean was almost equal to the Italian and Austrian fleets combined.