NAVY LEAGUE NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10080, 28 June 1910, Page 7

NAVY LEAGUE NOTES.

Canon Lyttelton, Headmaster 01 Eton, has placed on record the following opinion:—"l am not without hope that this work of the Navy League may be the means of confirming the patriotism of many thousands of boys, and helping ii to a more robust vitality."

■ "It is possible that war with Germany will come as a belt from the blue. What is to prevent the Germans having their ships all ready for action? War will not come if we have a fleet equsl to our needs. Great Britain's want is peace, and a fleet so bier, so well organised for war, that no country can attack us." — Lord Charles Beresford.

"Diplomacy, however successful, diplomatic arrangements, however admirable, may subserve, and will subserve, the cause of peace; but in the long run it is, after all, upon tie might of Britain that the right of Uritain depends, and it is inconsistent, both with her dignity as a great country and with the security of the territoiie.i commit fed to mr charge, not ourselves to nuke such provision as may be necessary in case of need to defend all that it is our bounden duty to defend."—Mr A. J. Balfour, M.P., on "I.nperial Defence."

The late King Edward, speaking at Liverpool, on July 17th, 1909, said that: "Readiness ,for defence is the strongest of the safeguards of Peace."

A remarkable statement was made by Mr Gladstone in 1861, when he said--"As regards the Colonies, the whole question is one of supremacy at sea, and the maintenance of our supremacy at sea is vital to our existence. England would no longer be England the moment ?he lost it. Jf she has supremacy at sea her Colonial Empire is virtually safe."

I According to Lieu*-. Knox, E.N., Germany spent £14,000 on each of her destroyers of the 1909 -programme, England oily £5,500 on each of hers, although we have much leeway to make up in destroyers. Germany ha 3 launched eight Dreadnoughts since March, 1908, the date on whivib her first one took the water, to our five in the same period. She spent £479,000 on each of her capital ships of last year to our £417,000. Germany is far ahead of us in dock accommodation for Dreadnoughts, yet the Prime Minister said at Liverpool: "Ihe Navy to-day is able to maintain, not only this year, but in the years that lie before tig, our supremacy at sea," a speech strongly contrasting with the one Mr Asquith made in <ha House, of which the following is an extract: "We can no longer, take to ourselves the consoling reflection that we have the advantage of speed in the rate at which ships can be built."

Mr Frederick Harnsor, writing in , The Times, says:-"To talk of friendly relations with Germany and the domestic virtues of the Fatherland is childish. Who in 1860 knew that Prussia was to be ihe dominant Power in Europe? Who in 1864 imagined that she was' to defeat Austria? Who in 1868 foresaw that in two y°ars she would be in Paris? Who in 1888 dreamed that she would be our rival at sea? My own \iew is perfect!} plain—as things stand a predominant fleet ia a matter of national existence. We need not only a powerful Navy, but a well-trained •Army here as a second line."

Lord Gorge Hamilton recently said: "1 think I am correct in saying that that idea has been that our establishment should be ot such a scale that it should be at least equal to the naval strength of any two other countrive. F'or the purpose of meeting unexpected blows we Ehould have a considerable margin of reserve."

The doctrine of ihs two-Power standard originated with Pitt, who said in the House of Commons: "The Navy must, on the ground of ratio 'al safety, be maintained superior to the naviea cf the next two Powers combired—the fleets of the House of Bourbon, France and rfpain."

A promirent English Naval journal thus sums up the situation: "In this country our League is'supportd by a handful uf enthusiasts, and is cavilled at by othsr people far everything it does and everything it docs not do. We want 1,000,000 members here, and the same whole-hearted support which is given to the Navy League in New Zealand from one end of (1 e Dominion to Ihe other.'*