A DISOBEYED ORDER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9157, 3 August 1908, Page 5

A DISOBEYED ORDER.

THE BERESPOKD-SCOTT

INCIDENT.

MATTER BEFORE PARLIAMENT,

LONDON, July 31. In the House of Commons the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Right Hon. Reginald McKenna, informed Viscount Castlereagh, Conservative member for Maidstone, that the Admiralty was satisfied that Admiral Lord Charles Beresford's manoeuvre, mention of which was cabled on the 7th inst, waa not dangerous, but that Admiral Sit Percy Scott was justified in turning his ship the other way, ' believing the order involved risk, and that Lord Beresford had so informed him at the time. The statement was received with' cheers.

A cablegram from London on July 7th stated that a correspondent had furnished the "London Times" with an account of a strange occurrence in connection with the operations of the Channel Fleet last week. Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, Commander-in-Chief, it was stated bad signalled the cruisers Good Hope and Argyll to perform an evolution which, if it hau heen obeyed, would have brought the.svesseld'into collision. The Argyll (Captain Reginald Allenby) obeyed tne signal, but Admiral Sir Percy Sci;tt, aboard the Good Hope, signalled doubts regarding the accuracy of the iI 6 -;-al, a-:d refrained from obeying it. \ ■ There h.ii been ill-feeling between Lord Charles Be;esford and RearAdmiral Sir Percy Scott for some time, puring the Mcrth Sea manoeuvres in November kit Lord Charlts Beresford.l.comnian'de* of the Channel squadron,' signalled to the fleet to "paint ship," in preparation for the: reception of the Ehriser, who was about to visit EnglarVJ. Thereupon Rear-Admiral Scott, commanding the First Cruiser Squadron; signalled to Captain Calthorpe, of cruiser Roxburgh, who hud-gone; fo'the firing range for gun practice,' "Paint- work appears in greater demand than gunnery ; so you had better come in in time to look pretty on the Bth." Lord Charles Beresford then signalled to the flee*, that Rear Admiral Scott's signal was contemptuous in tori«. and insubordinate, and must be expunged from the signal records of the Good Hope (Admiral' Scott's flagship) and the Roxburgh. Later Admiral Scott was ordered to attend on the fLjahip, where Lord Beresford read a general signal of reprimand. In the l.ght of subsequent events the following extracts from a Home paper may not be without some value: "It has been generally understood that the Admiralty did n„„ want any questions asked in Parliament re the Scott Beresford signal inc dent, and everyone hoped that the matter was virtually dead and buried. To the surprise of the fleet Lord , Charles Beresford has reiurrected the whole thing by issuing a memorandum on the subject to the officers commanding Vessels in his squadron. This memorandum is confidential, but as it appears to have been read to all the junior officers of the fleet, probably its contents will soon leak out, and should prove of considerable interest to the public. It has caused some consternation in the fleet,'