BRITAIN'S NAVAL POLICY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 268, 20 December 1909, Page 2

BRITAIN'S NAVAL POLICY

AGAIN ASSAILED 11V LOKl)

BERESFORD. GEKMAXY'S ACCELERATION. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright London, December 17. Lord Clias. lierest'ord, speaking a. Hull, said Mullinors, a Coventry linn, informed the Admiralty, in May, l.i'jii, of Germany's accelerated ship-buildi'tg. Since that date the firm lias never received nn Admiralty order. The na;y at present, he observed, is 18,000 short in personnel. Lord Beresford condemned the shovt servile system and the reduction of coastguards, and said if things did not improve he was prepared to take the risk of offending, under the Official Secrets Ad. uurmg the last four years those in authority in the navy had pursued a policy of evasion, prevarication, and fo r some time a policy of absolute falsehood in regard to the strength of the fleet. So long as we were wardens of die seas, he conlinucii, nobody assall"d our supremacy, but directly wc liecame bully of the seas, \vt built a Dreadnought anil held it up to ihs world—particularly to Germany—saving: ''Look! With thin we can jink your whole fleet." Advertising Dreadnoughts, he" concluded, placed us in our present position. • Germany was no\y spending more money in construction than ourselves and was building ships faster. THE DANGER OF GERMANY'S PREPARATIONS, f . INTERVIEWS WITH THE ADMIRALTY. SITUATION NOWGRAVER than EVER, Received December 10, 5.5 p.m. (London, December 18. The lead of the firm of Mulliners, in it letter to the newspapers, details the treatment by the Admiralt*' of it series of interviews he had with Cabinet Ministers and members of the Defence Committee last February, which resulted in the Government accepting his conclusions regarding the danger of Germany's preparations, particulars of which were forwarded to the Admiralty on Slav 10th. lie declares that the present naval situation is graver than ever.