THE ADMIRALTY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 109, 5 June 1909, Page 3

THE ADMIRALTY.

SIR JOHN FISHER AND HIS CRITICS.

London, April 8. '*av/gSA s been the targ indications of nnSer no drtern.ined attack upon the Aditself and more eepcoialh upon Sir John Fisher, the First Sea Lord The Times has published in the l™rse of the last few days t\.o long articles on "The Case Against the MTtiiraltv" by an anonymous emu-. Sir George Armstrong, a retired naval olhnow a journalist, made public on Saturday some revelations with regard - to alleged espionage in. the Navy, and rtad a printfd copy, marked 'private and secret," of a letter of a junior offiter criticising- hie superiors—a letter rjrbicV the' Admiralty is said to have drenhted throughout the Navv. A day or twn'-toter Sr. Carlton Bellairs, JI.I anothW-retircd' na'vaL officer, published •* wnober of alleged instances _ot olliecrs ponisfced by the Admiralty for vectoring to T eport adversely on details if organisation. Sir George Armstrong denounces Sir John Fisher, whereas Mr. Bellairs extends his condemnation to .■the whole Admiralty Board. The Times' critic charges Sir John Fisher 'with abandoning or mutilating lord Selborne's scheme of naval education in far too hasty a manner. The decision that specialisation in engineering shall in future foe only temporary for most young naval officers assigned to that branch is characteristic as involving enormous risk*-. The First Sea Lord, in acting as chairman of the committees appointed "privately to report on schemes organised by him, has, it is (lettered, made epprovial a foregone conclusion, and consideration of the schemes by the Board a pure formality. '-Restlessness, frequent alterations, contradictory statements of intention, have marked recent arrangements' and tcarrangements of British fleets." Nucleuscrew ships have not been maintained in a state of full efficiency, necessary repairs having been postponed. The "scrapping" policy of 1004-05, under iwhkb no fewer than 150 ships were struck off the effective list as being "not only useless', but worse than useless m time of war," is severely criticised. It is declared that a large proportion of ithese ships would even ndwi be of ser■vice if -they tod not been "scrapped,' and that in consequence of this policy end the failure to build new vessels the Navy had become dangerously weak in armored cruisers. The withdrawal of w> many British warships from foreign stations, it is further asserted, has resitted in injury to our .prestige and our national, interests. Finally Sir John Fisher's policy of introducing the "Dreadnought"' type has compelled an entire reconstruction of our Navy. Such axe the mam features of the criticism directed against the Fir*t Sea Lord. Sfr." Bellairs' "revelations" are still more sensational. After stating that it "was not Admiralty organisa tion but private. individuals who made the Government iware of 'what was going on in Germany, he proceeds to give alleged instances of the punishment of officers •who -have "ventured to disturb the unctuous self-satisfactiOn of the Board by,.drawing attention to defects in the make-believe pictures -which the Admiralty pjaced before the public." Says 3lr. Bellairs:--

A young captain dared to sign a minority report to tlie Committee on the personnel to tlie effect that, the policy 'would lead to the abolition of the .marines., Xo one is surprised that after only three months' service at the Admiralty he was exiled to the Far Bast. The only reports tolerated from committees are the reports to order extolling-Admiralty policy. The Director of Naval Intelligence reported that the absence of proper war plans jeopardised the safety of the ' cpuntrv. He was immediately exiled to the East Indies. The late Admiral Montgoinerie, on a false answer in Parliament, officially reported that 40 per cent, of his tofpedo flotilla, were in need of repairs. He was immediately deprived of tile bulk of his command. A distinguished captain who ventured to | send lit his experience of the demoralisation of the nucleus-crew system •wa# immediately ordered to confine " himself to his ship, and given the op--1 porta'nily of withdrawing his report, ' which he did. Lord Charles Beres- ! ford, las .the distinguished Admiral- ' issiipo of our forces in war, points-out to, _tills Admiralty, after the experience of the naval manoeuvres, exactly i ' wliat his .prospective fleet's shortcomings are as' compared with Germany's, and is thereupon informed that though the usual term of a Commander-in-Chief is three years, he is to come on shore at the end of two years. "Hiese instances can be extended, and in the' aggregate they constitute such a horrible state of affairs as to make an enquiry into Admiralty ad- , ministration an imperative necessity, in order to bring about reform. To all thes'e attacks Sir John Fisher maintains an unmoved frout. He is one of those strong men who can hold their peace and go on with .their work however bitterly they are assailed. In att the recent uproar about the Xavy he has not uttered a single word. He has faith in himself* and in the Xavy, and he has .the confidence of the Cabinet, of the majority of the House, and of the ' people at large. THE CASE FOE THE ADMIRALTY. Sir John Fisher is not concerned to defend himself against his newspaper critics, but he lias some vigorous champions speaking in his behalf. There is Dr. Macnamara, for example, who lias been Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty for the past twelve months. He . gives it as his deliberate judgment that »-it would be very difficult to devise s System of adniihistrative organisation 'which would give .the country ,prompter Und sounder tlespattf, of public ibusi- . neste." He goes further, and save rt \vould lie very difficult indeed to* get together a body of men-who could work harder, in more complete harmonv, or with greater devotion to the "rreat charge entrusted to them than did the men at the Admiralty. He points out that in. July last the Admiralty mobilised and sent to sea to engage in war tactics within a few hours 2(iß warships —one of the most remarkable pieces of organisation ever placed to the credit of the naval administration. Another Evidence of efficiency is the wonderful progress made in gunnery during the last few years. As' regards gun/avers tests, it. is sufficient to point'out 'that in 11101 there were 11)00 more misses than hits, uliile in 1007 there were .1000 more hits than misses. As for the per"y 1 "' x »7- «"Mt Britain has l-o,UUO officers and men. practically all •ong,icrvice. Germany has against'that a personnel of 54,01)0 short service. Dr ilacnainara admits Miat the KiHi-sli public are entitled to fa concerned about the Aavv, for if the white ensign were ever hauled down we might as well mit up our shutters. "But," he adds, "tlLc , "'<■ public that the Xavy »f today is not easily ahead of its own stantU? Very "'"-r - v "" rs eitto wm. T or Wlll Ilot faie the facts." J,'! the controversy J 1!ls been raging furious!)- round fflio "Dfeadnou-lit" programmes of England and <iennanv in%h?T« J!W^ nt P rt 'l'Wranee' t vrn* if, i t,le . Dreadnought type fag been either ignbred or dlsS pV roi . ,tcrial f o 'tUe '/• erhaps in {he circumstances a ^ r - i " forn " ,tion supplied br I w tl,e »™adno., s :,t type Mil not be amiss. Professor Biles S/r'° »f the Ad: nnralty Committee of Designers which evolved the Dreadnought, has been ex . between that tvoe and th«f .previous best. The RuWo™r, | sW ' luminal in? E<? - , ' l ""S ost gun—that is, tl». 12m So instead of four 12in guns the Dreadnought wa's designed to wirrv t n Uttbl Bt ? Cll r

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