BATTLE OF JUTLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 April 1921, Page 3

BATTLE OF JUTLAND.

REVISED TRACK CHART.

LORD JELLICOE TO SEE IT,

London, March 9.

In the House of Lords last evening, Lord Sydenham inquired whether there could be any objection to the publication of the track charts of the battle of Jutlaild, prepared -by Captain J. E. T. Harper’s Committee, on the understanding that no commentary was issued, but only a note explaining the sources of the information on which those charts were based.

Lord Lee, First Lord of the Admiralty, said they were all anxious that the public generally should be in possession of the fullest and most accurate information with regard to what took place at the greatest of naval battles for more than a century. But it was not easy to ascertain the facts, and particularly the exact movement of ships in the course of an action under conditions of visibility and other circumstances which made it peculiarly difficult to produce track charts that would be accented b; all concerned as being exact. Reports of the .various officers were collected and examined, and it was found by the navigating authorities at the Admiralty that there were obvious errors in some of the charts: The Admiralty formed the opinion that revision was necessary, and that when the charts were published they should be published by the authority of the Admiralty, and not of one particular officer. The revisions, so far as the Board of Admiralty was concerned, had been carried out.

With regard to the question of immediate publication, Lord Lee added that there was difficulty, as a vpry clear and specific undertaking was given by his predecessor that no new publication with regard to the conduct or history of the Battle of Jutland should be made without it first being submitted to Lord Jellicoe for any observation he might wish to make upon it. He therefore felt that it was absolutely necessary that the revised track chart, which has just been completed, should be forwarded to Lord Jellicoe. As soon as they were in possession of Lord Jellicoe’s observations, if any, upon the revised chart, they would be in a position, he hoped, to make it public or to supply it to all who might wish to see it.