A PACIFIC FLEET.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1919, Page 4

A PACIFIC FLEET.

MODERN VESSELS AVAILABLE. NO BUILDING NECESSARY. By Telegraph.—Press Asaa.— Copyrlsht. London, Oct. 11. The Australian Commonwealth can> have almost a free hand in picking vessels from the British navy for carrying out Lord Jellicoe's recommendations. The Admiralty's policy, supported by the Colonial Office, is to reduce the fleet by the presentation of ships of the most modern classes ifor Dominion navies. The Premier was recently consulted witii regard to the policy, and is now one of its strongest advocates. A high authority at the Admiralty stated that the Admiralty hopes that Australia will accept ships, including a Dreadnought, instead of building anew, and added that Lord Jellicoe's report would doubtless be found more easily read and accepted if the public remembered that Britain possesses a great margin of modern warships and is eager to present some to Australia. It becomeß, therefore, more a question of maintenance of ships than the cost of construction. Asked whether the distribution of ships was due to disarmament under the League of Nations, the authority replied: "Our immediate concern is retrenchment. They are after us, not with a pruning knife, but with an axe. There is a general hope at the Admiralty that the Commonwealth will give a lead to the Dominions by shortly accepting the warships." Lord Jellicoe's full report is eagerly awaited, and will be most carefullystudied by the new Board of Admiralty, into which Admiral Beatty iB bringing several younger men belonging to his school in the Grand Fleet. These changes are unlikely to affect the Admiralty policy in the Pacific, unless Lord Jellicoe demands a considerable readjustment, when the matter might enter upon an important struggle between the schools of Admirals Jellicoe and Beatty. Lord Fisher, in the'course of his new book of memoirs, to be published in November, amongst interesting naval disclosures, says that Lord Jellicoe's appointment as Commander-in-Chief led to an outbreak of mutinous threats amongst distinguished officers. Lord Fisher says: "I have an immense regard for Lord Jellicoe. He is a born commander of the fleet, indeed incomparable. He has all the Nelsonian attributes except one; he is totally wanting in the gift of insubordination. Also, he is saturated with discipline, and therefore allowed himself to be cajoled away from the great post of duty in order to prop up an effete administra-tion."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.