BRITISH NAVAL PROGRAMME.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 12, 8 February 1909, Page 3

BRITISH NAVAL PROGRAMME.

ATTITUDE of LORDS OF Tills ADAiIIiALTx. 'WILL RESIUX if I'IIOUIIA.U.UE L'.NACCEI'TED. Received. 7, 4.30 p.m. Guidon, February ti. The Daily Expiess states that the Lord* of the Admiralty have informed i •Cabinet that unless their programme i> 'accepted they will resign botliiy. 1 .Lord Morley and Mr, Jolin Burns •withdrew their opposition, but Mr. 'Lloyd-Oeorge and .Mr. Winston Church'ill continue to oppose the Admiralty's programme. •

• The Daily Chronicle, a London Liberal paper, admitted last week that sharp 'diflerences iu the Cabinet developed dur'iug recent meetings anent the new eon•struction vote in the Naval Estimates, 'ihe Admiralty propose an immediate •addition of two and a-half millions, in'creasing to five millions and six millions 'in succeeding years. It was then reported that the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Lloyd-Oeorge), the Sucre•tary for India (Mr. Morley), a;ul tlu president of the Board of Trade (Mr. ♦Jhurchill) opposed the scheme. On the •other hand, it was strongly supported •by the First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr •Alclvenna) and by the Financial Sucrc•lary to the Admiralty (Dr. Macnuniara), though previously they were both rigid economists. The Naval Estimate* for 1008-00 to■tailed £32,310,500, being an increase •of £900,000 on the preceding year. The 'liability (included in the above) for new •construction was £7,545,000, as against <£8,100,000 for 1007-08; of this sum, <£(>,705,202 was allotted to the construction of ships already under construction, and-£750,000 to beginning •new vessels. In the German Naval Estimates for •190!) non-recurring expenditure f or new •constructions and armaments is esti- ; •mated at £10,988,000, an increase of! ' £2,437,500. Of this sum the vote which 'is apportioned to new constructions umounts to nearly £7,000,000, of which 'nearly £4,260,000 are to be met out of loan and the remainder out of ordinary ■revenue. ' On November 12 Mr. Arthur Lee askIfcd the Prime Minister if the Govern'hnent accepted the two-Power standaid <of naval strength as meaning a pre'ponderance of 10 per cent, over the •combined strengths in capital ships of the two strongest powers. Mr, Asquitli •replied: "The answer is in the affirmative."