SHALL BRITANNIA RULE?

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3147, 26 March 1909, Page 3

SHALL BRITANNIA RULE?

THE GERMAN MENACE. POSITION IN THREE YEARS' TIME. The danger of the naval position was put very clearly by a writer in the "National Review" in July of last year, as follows: — "No diplomacy, however skilful, is a reliable substitute for national strength. The nation who depends on the assistance of other nations is a nation in decay. There is a great and growing anxiety concerning the future of our sea-power. Apart from the continuing mischief caused by the autocracy of Sir John Fisher, who regards the fleet as his private and particular preserve, and exercises his enormous patronage exclusively for his own purpose —incidentally establishing a tremendous hold over all politicians, journalists, and "agitators " with relations in the service—this year is admitted tc be a critical year in the history of British shipbuilding. The naval Estimates to be adopted in the autumn will largely determine our naval and national future. The Admiralty is now face to face with the fruits of the cheeseparing policy pursued since 1904; because, though it may suit political partisans to ascribe our present plight exclusively to His Majesty's present Ministers, we should in fairness remember that the late Government invented Sir John Fisher, made him 'boss' of the Admiralty, and initiated those perilous raids on the Estimates which have simply acted as so many incentives ,to German ambiton. The infantile ! idea that if we set a good example by disarming, other Powers would follow suit, has been completely exploded tor all time by the' German reply, which has taken the form of increasing German expenditure by about as millions as we have knocked off ours; this year Germany has adopted a'">d is executing our discarded Cawdor programme of four big armoured ships, while our programme has sunk to two. The combined results of British contraction and G p rman expansion were graphically shown in the table recently given by the Berlin correspondent of the "Westminster Gazette," who can scarcely be discounted as an alarmist, seeing that for years he has made it his business to minimise the German menace and to ridicule the apprehensions of those who have treated it seriously. We make no apology for again reproduc ing this highly instructive table. 'Let us agree,' he says, 'that the date March, 1912, must be constantly kept in view by the British public; by the end of 1912 England must again be in a position of overwhelming superiority on the sea, as she is now. Let rue put the question plainly as follows, not counting in the 1909 programme : In 1309 Britain will have completed: 7 Dreadnoughts plus 3 Dread-r,ought-type cruisers —i.e., 10 Dreacinouy hl-type big ships. Germany will have: 1 Dreadnought. In 1010 Britain will Irive : 10 Di'siadnous'ht-type big ships. Germany will have: 1 D plus 3 Ds plus 1 Dread-r.ought-tyue cruiser, which equals 5 Dreadnought-type ships. In 1911 Briiain will have: 1 more Dreadnought—i.e., 11.I 1 . Dreadno'.ight-type ships. Germany will hav*<: 1 D plus 3 Ds olus 3 Ds 1 Dread-nought-tvpe crusier, equal 8 Dreadnought-type ship?. | In 1912, by the end of February, j not counting tha 1909 programme. : Br its in will have: 11 Dreadnought type ships i.e., I 8 Dreadnoughts, " Dread- j nought-typu cruisers; to which we shall add the Agamemnon and Lord Nelson. By March, 1912, Germany will have: 1 D plus 3 Ds plus 3 Ds plus 3 Ds plus 1 DC plus 1 DC plus 1 DC, which equals 10 Dreadnoughts, 3 Dreadnought-type cruisers—i.e., 13 Dread-nought-type slips. 'That is to say, within four year?, on present programme?, (he socalled JVI fstress of the Seas will possess 11 vessels of fie Dreadnought type to Germany's 13.' "From these incontestable facts the writer invited Englishmen to draw the inevitable inference. 'From the above sketch British taxpayers will conclude that they cannot avoid j a building programme in 1909 of 1-ss j than six Dreadnoughts, provided that the programmes n*. other nations remain the same; and there is so far no sign of a modification therein. Taking Ihe price of Dreadnoughts into account, it is hardly likely that the British Naval Estimates for n«.-xt year can be much less that 41 millions of pounds.' As our readers are aware, it is not only Dreadnoughts that are wanting. There is, indeed, a very able school of na"al experts' who condemn the whole Dreadnought development, and would revert to a smaller type of battleship, as being less costly and more serviceable. Upon such points j we cannot profess to decide. But we . do know that almost every necessary ! of war has been neglected by ihe Ad- j miralty in jveent years in order to i curry favour with the politicians -re- J | pasifs, cruisers, destroyers, docks. / J etc. So much fo that, as rnuy he Gathered from a valuable article of J Sir Rowland Blennerhassett. in the j \ same review, on 'Naval Training ! and Administration,' the very first ! duty of Mr Asqur.i.'s Government, ' in which they would be warmly j supported by public oninion, is to J institute an inquiary into t - u> pre- i sent regime, such as those j ex-Sea Lor s Sir Frederick Richards I and Fir R. Vesey Hamilton have j advised. j "In aiu event," concludes the wiiter, "Hi. .Tv must be a substantial of fxpenditur- next ana'don our nav-il <-ur.temaey in home waters, as we have already abandoned it in remoter oceans." "