THE BRITISH NAVY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 47, 20 March 1909, Page 2

THE BRITISH NAVY.

CABLE NEWS (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.)

IX A FOOL'S PAItAIHSE. HIIITAIX'S WANT (IK NECl'ltl'lT 'l'ilE OOVEHNMENT L'ItITK.TSED. T'JIK I'OMIN'O lI.VTTJ.ESIIIPN. an i'ku ci-:\r. hkttkh than i)i,'i:.U).\iii<;iris.

lleceivcd 111, (1.311 p.m. Jjmdoii, March lit. In bin' .House of <.'ominoii,>. -Mr. Austin I'luiiiilieilain continued the naval ilcl.alc. Minister*, he said, hud been living i'n <i fool's paradise, A vear ago he had said the countn had 'no sccurity. Tlic jiid(.'incii|t of Minister", however, seemed better mow than then. In any case Ibe margin of M'cnrity was dangerously nil now. They had Wen I'orgcll'ul of ,-in'li a, .contingency an a. shipbuilding si like. .Mr. «.Tiiiiiil»irl<iin ami Mr. lfonar jjuw; iasHted 0,11 it licing essential to lay down Uic Divnd.miuglils promised for A]>Vil .iminediutelv. Mr. .Reginald *\leKenna (First Lord of the Admiralty) said the coming battleships would he 30 per cent, better than Dreadnonglft*.

Mr. Balfour, noticing Mr. MeKmra-ii avoided tlie direct .promise that foun Dreadnoughts would lie laid down ini April, talced Mr. Asqtlith, who made this pi-omi.se, if Hie (ioverninciit would acuvlerate the comstTiictkmi of these vessels should the (ionium programme lie continued. Tlio Opposition, he said, strongly objected to uny qualified promise.

Mr. Asquith, evidently referring t» Admiral Tirpitz's sia'tcmont. in the Heic.hstag, isaid: "Certain declaration* fill me with surprise. I a.wait fuller explanations." The Times recalls Krupp's loan, publislied on, .Inly 23rd, 1008, an'd pj-oyi-s that Germany's order to accelerate the Imildiing of liattleshrps was given in Ajrril, and not in October.

OUR SHIP-BUILDING FACILITIES. WOOLWICH'S DEFICIENCY. London, March 18. Mr. MlcKcnnn, First Lord of the Admiralty, replying to a question in the House of Commons, admitted there wai ,10 plant for making gun mountings at Woolwich. Britain, he said, had seventeen shiplbuilding Blips and two other sliips capable of adoption for warship purpose*. The Buke of Sutherland presided at a meeting for the purpose of inaugurating « scheme for « Forth and Clyde canal estimated to cost seventeen million ipounds. Such n canal would enable the construction of shipbuilding and repairing yards in Loeh Lomond, thvelve miles outside the possible range 01 gun fire, and the work would cmploy 30,000 workmen during a period of nine years. The Duke of Argylc and Lord Braasey supported the scheme.

ADMIRAL TIRPITZ'S DENIAL. London, March 18. The Daily News and the Manchester Guardian declare that Admiral von Tirpitz's denial is a disposal of all the conjectures whereon the n«vy debate was based. *«*• Though Frederick Harrison, leader of the Positivists, who apposed all forms of militarism, lw warmly supports in the Times every possible precaution on sea and land against Germany.

OPINIONS IN AUSTRALIA. ■HELP FOR THE MOTHERLAND. Sydney, March 19. Public men lake a .serious view of •tlm naval situation disclosed by Mr. McKcnna's statement mid of its bearing on Australia. Mr. Andrew Fisher, Federal Premier, states that at the Premiers' Conference he drew attention to the present state of Euro|>onn politics, and flrat the danger of invasion might demand that the whole, resources of Hie country should lie (wed.

The Daily Telegraph suggests that in | the event of the tension over the naval situation becoming sharper, if Australia and Canada., as leaders amongst the colonial countries, each offered the Admiralty a Dreadnought, what a significant intimation it should be to the nations that theso comparatively rich young dominions would be quick to rein'iorce the Motherland for any emergency. The cost would I>e relatively small, hut the force «nd example tremcudous, -■ jfH The Sydney Morning Herald, recognising the significance of the position to Australia, says: "While we can be grate'ful to the Mother Country in facing facts with traditional courage, we must in decency sing small until we can, feel we are doing our fair share towards keeping the national homo together." '

i HOME DEFENCE. SOME PERTINENT POINTS. *— *g London, March 18. Lord Roscbcry, in a latter to ttur Times, declares that while the naval announcement is mo9t critical, the Navy in a sense is secure (because the nntiocu will vote all that is possfblc directly it realises the Navy's (predomirmnee is threatened. But inVpcrviousnoss to invasion bring relegated to the region of doubt raises the problem of whether the Territorials arc sufficient for home defence.