COMMENT BY "THE TIMES."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9163, 11 August 1908, Page 5

COMMENT BY "THE TIMES."

Received August 10, 9.30 p.m. LONDON, August 10. Tho "Times" says that the British rather envy Australasia having the first opportunity of welcoming the American Fleet. The paper considers that the Admiralty acted wisely in not attempting to equal the display in naval force in Australasian waters. It was better to> defer the full greetings until the Mediterranean was reached, when the British ironclads will accord it a welcome. "All residents in these islands,?' continues "The Times," "wish to associate themselves with Australasia's warm welcome." In the American "Review uf Reviews," Mr Winthrop L. Marvin gi.es particulars, which make very interesting reading of the fleet of battleships under the command of Admiral Sperry. There were sixteen battleships in the Armada, built at a cost of about £20,000,000, and requiring for their upkeep about £2,000,000 per annum* or about £330 per day eaih. The following are the statistics of the fleet (A, displace-

A very large proportion of the 13,700 enlisted men of the Fleet are making their first voyage in foreign waters. Hundreds of them wre fresh from the farms and ranches of the Far We3t and South-west and the railroad towns and manufacturing centres. Out of the 33,027 men in the navy on June 30th, 1907, no fewer than 25,761 were serving their first enlistmen . Nevertheless, there has been no delay of consequence in the entire long journey. The indispensable fuvl has bp*n found where it was wanted. The machinery of the ships has performed well. The health of the crews has remained sound, and, indeed, their valor has steadily improved. Though many of the men were new to their ships and new to the sea, a degree of comfort and contentment extraordinary on such a long voyage has prevailed, and there have been singularly few desertions.

ment, fully equipped for sea ; complement—B, officers; G, men): — Name. A B C Connecticut 16,000 41 840 Kansas 16,000 41 809 Louisiana 16,000 41 840 Vermont 16,000 41 840 1 Georgia 14,94S 40 772 New Jersey 14,948 40 772 j Rhode Island 14,948 40 772 Virginia 14,948 40 772 1 Minnesota 16,000 41 840 Ohio 12,500 41 759 Missouri 12,500 40 739 Maine 12,500 41 772 Alabama 11,552 34 679 Illinois 11,652 34 656 Kearsarge 11,520 39 651 Kentucky 11,520 35 651