THE GERMAN MENACE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 331, 25 January 1909, Page 4

THE GERMAN MENACE.

A little more than two years ago, having had. the advantage of spending a week with the Channel Fleet, I contributed to a. London evening paper a signed article giving my impressions of the experience (writes Mr. Lucy in the Sydney Morning Herald). Among other 'leanings, 1 recorded a statement made to me upon high personal authority ,hat among the regular procedure of the German Army was the practice of "embarking and disembarking on transports. Some six weeks after the appearance of the article, when it was beginning to be forgotten, the annual banquet of the Lord Mayor took place at the Mansion House. Iu his capacity of First Sea l/)rd of the Admiralty, Sir John Fisher wan named in coinieetion with the toast of the Navy, in responding he made my innocent little article the text of his speech, ridiculing with special gusto the statement about the practice of embarkation and disembarkation. He amused the company by the suggestion that in view of the luthorship it would have more appropriately appeared in the pages of 'Punch thau in the columns of so staid a Journal as the Westminster Gazette. 1 did not presume to enter into controversy with so high l an authority, and there the matter rested. Sitting iu the House of Lords listening to Lord Roberts' striking speech on the condition of the Home defences, I heard the Kield-Mar-?hal, cataloguing the preparations of Germany for possible invasion of this country, say: "The great German liners have: constant practice ill embarking and disembarking, which would 'enable them to take on lH>ard and disembark troops in much less t' ,I,y than could be accomplished by the French Army." The Lord Mayor's banquet for this year is over. But Sir «lohn Fisher need not be a«t a loss for opportunity to return to an interesting nnd important subject raised again on the highest authority.