BRITISH NAVY.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 March 1920, Page 5

BRITISH NAVY.

REDUCTION OF FLEET. I PRICES MAKE COST HIGHER. j Received March IG, 11.10 p.m. By Telegraph.—Frc-ss Assu.—Copyright. Loudon, March W. An explanatory memorandum to the Navy Estimates, issued by Mr- Walter Long (First Lord of the Admiralty), shows that after deducting £19,000,000 for non-recurrent war liabilities and £40,000,000 for recurrent expenditure due to war conditions, such as increases in prices, wages and pensions, there remains a normal expenditure, on a basis of pre-war rates and prices, totalling £37,500.000, compared with £35,000,000 in 1915-16. The memorandum says that in view of the efforts made during the war it is possible temporarily to suspend production and reduce the fleet to minimum requirements, both in personnel and material. The memorandum contends that far from capital ships being doomed, either on account of submarines or aircraft, the war had shown that a battle squadron must still remain the chief unit of a fleet, though advances in science would inevitably necessitate eventual changes in type. Thus it was even possible that the present battleship may change to a semisubmarine' type or even a flying type, but the immediate abandonment of the capital ship in favor of a visionary scheme of aircraft or submarines would leave the British nation destitute of sea power and without means of progressive training.—lmperial Service.