THE KEY OF THE BALTIC.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 26 August 1907, Page 4

THE KEY OF THE BALTIC.

The naval position of Germany in tiio event of war with England is dismissed by Mr J. Ellis Barker with much lucidity in the Nineteenth Century and After. The main point made by the writer is that when Germany lias completed her fleet of 20 Dreadnoughts, and has also widened and deepened the Kiel Canal to allow these mammoth warships to pass from the Baltic to the Xorth Sea. it will be necessary for England to have one fleet of more than 20 Dreadnoughts to watch the months of the Ellje and Weser, and a second ileet of more than 20 Dreadnoughts to watch the Kattegat. The Gorman Heel can get out of the Haltic by either of the two routes. Consequently a superior force of British ships will be required to block both routes. This authority argues that it will be of vital importance to Germany to secure safe passage for their ships through the Great Belt, the Little Belt, and the Sound, the three channels leading from the Baltic to the Kattegat. And since these channels are dominated by Danish fortresses, lie predicts that Germany,, If she fails to secure the willing co-operation of Denmark, will land troops in Denmark and capture the fortresses. Denmark, therefore, must \k promptly assisted by Great Britain with ships and men if that design is to La blocked. Access to the Baltic is of the utmost importance to Great Britain, because with that advantage it would be easy to land troops in Mecklenburg or Pomcranin, within easy distance of Berlin, and thus compel Germany to keep her main army to defend the capital, incidentally, it is noted that the British statesman who handed over Heligoland to Germany in exchange for certain barren concessions in Africa made a very bad bargain. Heligoland has now been very strongly fortified as a base for for-pedo-boats, and its heavy guns would take part in operations against a British fleet approaching the Kiel Canal, .the writer says that Germany has arranged to spend £11,000,000 in widening and deepening the Kiel Canal, a work which is expected to occupy eight years. And he is of opinion that until that work is completed the Kaiser's Government will strenuously avoid being drawn into war.