“TARANAKI CENTRAL PRESS.” MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1936. JUTLAND TACTICS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 297, 30 November 1936, Page 4

“TARANAKI CENTRAL PRESS.” MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1936. JUTLAND TACTICS.

Probably some of those who stood around the tomb of Lord Jellicoe in St. Paul’s Cathedral when it was dedicated this week were wondering what the verdict of future historians would be on the merits of his leadership. The controversy that has raged over the critical decision in the Battle of Jutland has always assumed that it was made during the fight. Sir Reginald Bacon s biography of Lord Jellicoe, published a few weeks ago, shows that the probabilities had been thought oik months before and that the commander-in-chief had indicated very plainly what his tactics were to be. In correspondence with the. Admiialty in October, 1914, he wrote that he would decline to let the enemy draw him into a trap of submarines and minefields. It may be deemed, he said, that a refusal of battle might possibly result in failure to bring the enemy to battle as soon as expected, such a result would be absolutely repugnant to the feelings of all British naval officers and to me. But with new and untried methods of warfare new tactics must be designed to meet them. I feel that such tactics, if not understood, may bring odium on me; but so long as I have the confidence of their Lordships I intend to pursue what is, in my considered opinion, the proper course to defeat and annihilate the enemy s battle-fleet without regard to uninstructed opinion or criticism.’ The Admiralty’s reply was that there was ‘‘complete unity of thought between their Lordships and yourself. Lord Jellicoe was told to take his own line and to choose his own method and not to trouble himself about what was going on in, England. The justification of Lord Jellicoe’s tactics came in the end, because when the German High Seas Fleet again put out to sea it was for the purpose of surrendeiing. Ihe critics are not yet silent, it is true, but it is certain that the Admiral’s reputation stands higher to-day that it did at the end. of the war.

New Industries Needed. The chief subject of discussion by the Labour Party s caucus, naturally enough, has been lhe sticky problem of unemployment. It is not a reflection on Mr. Armstrong’s administration that he should still have many thousands of unemployed on his hands, because governments in all countries have had the same difficulty in getting men back into regular work. European countries have found a temporary and still incomplete solution in their armaments programmes. Cabinet in • New Zealand, according to the Prime Minister, will give consideration to the development of new industries, but it is evident that the caucus is still thinking in terms of public works, and obviously there is no permanent solution to be found in that direction. The great need, as Mr. Armstrong himself has said, is to broaden the field of industrial activity, and that is the task to which Cabinet ought now to devote its energies and imagination. I he most likely development is in the metal industries, lhe production of iron and steel and Aluminium, and it would be interesting to know whether the Government has yet made even a preliminary inquiry in that direction.