THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1909. BRITISH POLITICS AND DEFENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3119, 20 February 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1909. BRITISH POLITICS AND DEFENCE.

The difference in Imperial Cabinet on the proposals of the Admiralty to increase the naval expenditure is reported to have been settled by the programme being accepted on condition that there shall be no undue speed in building the new Dreadnoughts which it provides for. Tins is a somewhat "ambiguous givingout," which may mean eitl.er that the Admiralty h.JS b;en allowed to win a moral victory which there is no intention of making a practical one, or that the economy party has j given way but been permitted to I save its face by the work in dispute

being deferred. Probably what it signifies is that the Admiralty has been given authority to build the ships—if necessary. Those who are alarmed about Germany's naval energy calculate that in the year 1911, if the programmes as at present laid down are adhered to, Germany will have ten Dreadnoughts and three Invincibles (armoured cruisers), or 13 of the new type, to Great Britain's eight Dreadnoughts and four Invincibles, or twelve of thosa classes. Doubtless that has been the main argument in support of the expansive scheme that threatened to split the Cabinet. The question has been raised whether the Dreadnought type is as overwhelmingly superior as it is generally supposed to be, some experts, especially among the old school of construction authorities, arguing that u it is not. The advisers of all the sea-Power Governments, however, think so differently that Dreadnoughts are a predominating fashion, and are building for every nation that ha-3 naval ambitions. That opinion, along with the view that the German programme calls for expansive response on the British side, is evidently endorsed by the Admiralty, which, if it is given the additional £13,500,000 for the

ensuing three years, will have the money to build about seven more Dreadnoughts should they be calle 1 for. It will, therefore, be well prepared to compete with Germany, and may even slacken the pace of the Kaiser's Government by its show of reserve power. Mr M'Kenna, the first Lord of the Admiralty, would probably be content with that, for while he has insisted that Great Britain must a navy strong enough to beat any reasonably probable combination, he has also declared that it should carefully refrain from "making the pace in expenditure on armaments." In thi.t way the Government will no doubt appease some of the apprehen sions which seem to have been crystallised into agitation by the extraordinary play "An Englishman's Home." That proverbial castle, however, needs defending by soldiers as well as sailors, and according to the alarmists—or the true prophets, as may turn out—is weak on the land side. In proof of this it is complained that the new Territorial Army, which is to absorb or replace the old volunteers and yeomanry, proves impossible to bring up to its contemplated total establishment of 313,000 of all ranks. This force is j intended to differ markedly from the old volunteers, notably in the trainI ing of the men being more systei matic, in the terms of service bem* more specific, in the association of the forie with the regulars, and in its completeness as a self-sufficient military establishment, including every department that is requisite for an army. Its stipulated number has not been reached, certainly, but in a speech which he delivered last month, Mr Haldane, the Minister for War, pointed out that although the force had only been in existence nine months 207,000 men, or over twothirds of the total, had been enrolled. At the same time he explained, in answer to those who argue that Great Britain is in danger of invasion, that including reservists there were 320,000 regular soldiers available to meet the invader, should he perform the perilous and wonderful feat of breaking through the navy with his transports, and that including the Territorials—welltrained citizen soldiers, not happy-go-lucky volunteers—there was a total force of 527,000. Could the Territorials be got up to their full strength, therefore, it would scarcely be possible for the most nervous alarmist to think England was not ready. The outstanding obstacle to Territorial compl teness, however, is mot that men are unwilling to join, but that many of their employers are Joth to give them leave for a fortnight's training. These employers display poor patriotism arid little foresight, for if an efficient home army cansaot be organised on a volunteer basis there is a certainty of the country resorting to compulsory service, and then the employer who now objects to some of his employees being away for a fortnight would have to let nearly all of chem go for a much longer period.