The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1915. YESTERDAY’S NAVAL BATTLE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 123, 26 January 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1915. YESTERDAY’S NAVAL BATTLE.

(With which is incorporated The Taihapo Post vmi Wuimarino News.)

Intoxicated with the brilliant success of his Zeppelin raid on the poor helpless farmers of Norfolk, and smarting under the jeers of all civilised nations not having any part in the war, the modern Attila has, apparently, been urging his satillites on to the performance of some more doughty deed; the achievement of something more in accordance with the understood rules of decent warfare. He'evidently thought it was his navy’s turn to take a hand, and no doubt after due consideration, it was decreed that one of his smartest squadrons of fast, powerful ships should skulk out of its hiding place for the accomplish ment of that which must have seemed to them little more than a forlorn hope. If a Zeppelin raid cannot he made without loss of aircraft, it is not likely a naval raid can be any. more successful. Events amply proved the correctness of this view, for, although four of (Germany’s fastcst, heaviest armoured, bestequipped battle-cruisers were selected to retrieve a little of the nation’s lost honour, they were not aide to stand for one hour before the four British ships comprising Rear-Admiral Beatty’s squadron. They commenced to run almost immediately to the safety of a mined area. They wore evidently closely followed by our squadron, for within three or four hours of sighting them one of their fastest ships had been sent to the botom.

The latest wire to hand this morning gives the names of the enemy’s ships but it does not disclose the number of ships cornmusing the torpedo flotilla. The German ships were, the Derfflinger, completed in 1914; her displacement is 26,200 tons, she is 689 feet long and 95 feet in breadth. Tier great speed is the outstanding feature of this ship. The main battery consists of eight 12-in. guns, twelve 5.9 in. quickfirers in the second battery, and twelve 21-pounders, and the antitorpedo armament. She also carries special aircraft guns, and has

four submerged torpedo lubes. Her armour plate is 12 inches thick, she earires 4,300. lons of coal, her engines work up to 03 horse-power, and her speed k--261 knots. She carries a complement of 1,125 officers and men. Next in importance is the SeycL litz, 24,000 tons, 656 feet long, en gines 63,000 horse-power, speed knots. Her armament is the same only that her heavy guns are ton 11-in. in place of the forer’s 12-in. Her complement is 1,108 .officers and men. The Moltke is also a battle-cruiser; she displaces 22,640 tons , her length is 640 feet, she is fitted with Parsons’ turbines of 52,000 horse-power, and her speed is 25 knots. The Moltke is one of the two fastest vessels in the German fleet. Her armament, is almost pr r isely similar to that of the Seydiitz, and she carries 1,01.3 officers and men. The Bluehor is an armoured cruiser and as we gave details of her tonnage, speed an equipment in yesterday’s issue there is no need to repeat it. These ships were accompanied hy the usual torpedo-boat flotilla. “ * * The four British ships in Admiral Beatty’s squadron, who had the enviable good fortune to sight the long-looked-for debut o.f the enemy, were, first,, the Lion, the type of her class. Rhe .displaces 27,000 tons, is 660 feet long; turbines 70,000 horse-power, which enables her to steam up U 27 knots. Her armament consist: of ten 13.5 guns, discharging a

projectile of 1,4001bs weight, at the rate of two rounds a minnre.

Elm also carries sixteen -!-iu. qnickfirers; there are also two submerged tubes. The main armour is nine inches thick; her fuel capacity is 3000 tons, and her complement is 980 officers am’ men. The Tiger is a later boat slightly larger and more powerful, being completed in 1914 - lie displacement is 28,000 tons, am her length is 660 foot. .She has turbines of 100,000 horse-powev giving a speed of 28 knots. Her armament comprises eight 13.5 guns, twelve 6in., and some small, or guns, with three torpedo tubes Elm stores 4,000 tons of fuel; he. armour-plate is 10 inches thief and she carries 1,100 officers and men, and is one of the lines-battle-cruisers in existence, quite unlike any other in the British Navy in appearance. The Princess Royal belongs to the Lion class and is so like the Lion in every particular that nothing further need be said. The name olfil 1 - fourth ship that was present i/ this fight will send a thrill through every patriotic New Zoalandm; for it was no other than the talked about Dreadnought that New Zealanders presented to the Empire. Although some of out* mem-' ories are fresh there nmc be others who-will he glad to have a brief mention of the New Zealand’s characteristics. Our shb belongs to the Indefatigable class she displaces about 19,000 tons, iV 555 feet in length, and her speed is 25 knots, which was much exceeded during trials. Her main armament consists of eight 12-in. guns, sixteen 4-in. quickfircrs, with two submerged torpedo tubes. Her armour-plate is seven inches thick, and her fuel capacity is 2,500 tons. Her complement is 790 officers and men.

This anxiously awaited fight commenced at halp-past nine in the morning and by one o’clock the BJucher was sunk: and with her went the lives of 765 of Germany’s trained men, as only 123 were rescued; put it is prohabP l he would be’carrying more than

her ordinary complement of SS-’ and (lie loss would .therefore be correspondingly greater. We or, also advised that among the re fnge-seeking enemy (Imre were cripples, of which, detain/! iit formation may arrive too late n (In: day to he commented noon hero. The most gratifying feature of this initial North. Eea naval bout is the marvellous immunity from injury of our sailors, for in the whole scuffle we are onlv advised

of eleven wounded aboard tbv Lion. It seems too good to be true, seeing flic, powerful and far reaching nature of the enemy’s guns; we can only hope the number nearly represents our total casualties; if it does, then it, is indeed a cheap victory. We maybe taunted with having a contemptible little army, and with being a decadent nation, bin tin-re is not one man in the immense British Empire who will not glow with, pride at the latest triumph in upholding the glorious traditions of the British Navy.

PROPORTIONAL R RPRRRE ,\ T TATTON.

!t is not an edifying spectacle to see the two leading statesmen of any country wasting valuable lime in trying to befog the people on any question that closely concerns them, doing the prestidigi-

tat or business, demonstrating that two and two make five. That is what Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. -.Massey are doing in their talk about the Dominion vote at the late general elections. We cannot deny the figures given forth, declared as correct by the returning officers, neither can anyone else truthfully do so, but whether the Opposition had a large majority of votes polled in their favour or not docs not alter the fact that when the Second Ballot Act was repealed the country was promised a substitute, and this promise has not yet been fulfilled. It may be said time and opportunity did not permit, but as no excuses of that ; e were made about the ivp. ..I of the Second Ballot Act most people will not regard the professed intentions of the Government as .altogether sincere. What concerns the people most now is to know what system of voting will he substituted for that discarded. There seems to bo but one method of conducting elections on correct democratic manciples, and that is the transferable vote, the proportional representation system. In England a Royal Commission was set up to examine the various schemes proposed in order to secure a fully '■epresentative character for popularly elected legislative bodies;

•ml the Commission reported that such legislative bodies could only fie elected under some such system ts that known as Proportional Representation, hut as its use would involve a radical rearrange uent of electoral districts they did -ot recommend it for .the election vf the House of Commons. In a, vouny country like New Zealand the alteration of boundaries would matter very little, as a fact the growth, of population compels alterations to he made from time to time, and it is probable that when boundaries were once adjusted for ■an election under this system there would be less need for readjustments being made so fre•lontly as in the past. With only two candidates nominated the Proportional Representation, system : s inoperative and so it becomes necessary to have electorates as large as to need, on a proportional basis, three or more members. To iisiire election! a candidate need not obtain a majority of the votes first polled, hut only a certain number, so fixed that it can bo obtained by a number of candidates equal to the number of seats to be filled, but no more. Tin’s number is called the “ quota ”. The voter arranges the candidates fit the order of his choice by placing the figures 1,2, 3, and so on against the names on his votir paper. At the first count only first votes are reckoned, and those candidates who have received a •uota, or more, are declared elec-, ted. If all the seats have not been filled, the surplus votes of those who have received more than a I mota are transferred according 1 to the names marked 2 on them, If _ these transfers still do not bring the requisite number of candidates up to the quota, the lowest candidate is eliminated and Ids votes arc transferred according io the next preference marked on them, and the process is continued until all seats are filled. This system certainly assures a more

faithful, a more trustworthy, and a more abiding reflection of the national will, but there seems no desire on the part of either side in politics in this Dominion to make the changes necessary for its institution. The time is not far distant when the people-will demand the change, and we are not quite sure that the Govern-

ment’s position now is not, in some measure, the result of its lailiive to make good its promises to replace-the second ballot with something that would be less clumsy and expensive, while more 'eenratelv reflecting the will of the people.