The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1916. THE SILENT NAVY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 57, 10 June 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGM ONT SETTLER SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1916. THE SILENT NAVY.

More and; more deeply does the Erapipe realise how much it owes to a the 1 great .silent navy as the full story of the .North Sea battle unfolds. For nearly two years' unremittingly and unflinchingly, steadily on keenest watch and ward, the British Navy has stood by with docks cleared for action, 'longing to’ give the German 'boasters battle. When the enemy did dare issue from its hiding places, our ships were ready and put up the greatest naval fight the world has ever seen. Nowhere has the position been better put than by a leading Canadian journalist who reminds the Empire that Britain’s untiring silent fleets have been “the wall of steel against which all the land victories of Germany have broken into meaningless fragments}.” For if it had not been for that wall those victories would have meant real gains, real decisions which could not be countered by the ability of the Allies to make good‘all losses and continually add to their strength. The Navy has been the reserve force which has enabled the Allies continually to fall back for recuperation. It has been the solo support of the financial and economic side of the war. The Germans have had to expend their whole strength in desperate attempts to reach a decision against one or other of their laud toes iii order to endeavor at last to strike at the source of the Allies’ strength. In doing so they have exhausted themselves and have never been even within sight of their objective. No reward, however great, can repay the debt the world owes to the British Navy. This is no exaggeration and is not a reflection on the rest of tue world. The war has been the supreme triumph of sea power. It lias proved itself finally and irrevocably. Without the Navy, democracy would not have been carried on and bankruptcy must have resulted. Without the Navy the credit of the world would have collapsed in the first three months of the war. Long ago Mr Lloyd George declared that the last million sterling might be the deciding factor in the war. Great Britain and her Allies are not even within sight of the last million sterling. Great Britain has paid the interest on the war debt amt reduced the capital expenditure by some ; £1100,000,000 without drawing on her reserves. She lias paid that colossal ' sum out of revenue and the elasticity I of that revenue'’ is solely due to the ( power exercised by the Navy. Lord Beresford spoke well a day or so ago, 1

when ho voiced the nation’s pride in | our ships and our men, and told ho•' nobly Admirals Jollicoe, Eeattj, Hood i and those with them had won a glorious victory. Lord Beresford as an old sailor and one ol the keenest critics of modem naval matters, knows what he is tailing about, and no is fully satisfied that our naval achievements ar l ' all that could have been accomplished under the trying circumstances and that the Jutland battle was a glorious victory tor Britain a Navy. It is not. therefore, fur smaller men to cavil that wo gained less than fervent hope and patriotism desired.