NAVY LEAGUE NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10093, 15 September 1910, Page 3

NAVY LEAGUE NOTES.

1 (Contributed.)

"The problem of naval defence has entered upon a stage more grave, . more serious, requiring greater care j than anything we have yet known.' j —Sir Edward Grey. I "Diplomacy which is unarmed ! cannot hold its own, however strong '■ its cause, against diplomacy which , is armed:,, —Times. _ ' 'This debate is more serious, because in my opinion it represents the complete triumph, or at least the beginning of the complete; triumph of the Navy League."—Mr A. Henderson, M.P., House of Commons, March 17th, 1909. (The late leader of the Labour Party is probably aware that the creed of the Navy League is a supreme fleet as the best guarantee of peace.) _ "An island country like ours with its frontiers the sea, must think twice before it does anything to weak- , en its first line of defence. It is on that ground jbhat I am going to vote in favour of the Government" (and for building the four extra Dread- ' noughts).—Mr J. Ward > Labour Member, House of Commons, July ; 26th, 1909. ■■;■' !/ '•>■'■. j; ; /"When the world believes 1 that : ••Jhi^Md^wUl';'lbW'filrto' i ilierg- , yill- {'be j peace the hope of her proving j .weak- or irresolute which tends *to ' breed war."—Einklake's "Crimea." "Of all advisers the sentimentalists are the 'most dangerous, because " they ignore human-nature and the laws of the Universe. {They imagine that wars may be eliminated by talk, before International Courts, that precautions may be safely .neglected! in the face of the lessons of history,* and that weakness is in itself a vir-; tue." • V /■•:;■: V.•:>-,' ;. •, ' "If the responsible heads of a great; department like 'the Navy air - low the Treasury, to come {m .and overbear .their, deliberate^ judgment by mere penny-wise they incur a great Lord Carnavon, 1884. ; ' ' 'The, exercise of the powers ; of the Treasuryiiigoverning every dejpartment of the Government is not for the "public ;\benefit.*"r-Tne latp Lord Salisbury, House of, Gominons, January 30th,A1900. ,;/. ■'; ,' A- %.., ,, I ' 'There/is reason to believe'. ; that the; defences of the country ..have been weakened'' at critical .moments',. I by tthe exigencies' of the -Treasury, 1 more of ten: perhaps -by the Treasury .clerks than by the Chancellor, of .the i Exchequer,; which Have.been directp ed only) to Snaking up a :'good ,^BudV; get.'■ Ifcis.^our.</firm-conviction' thap : this' sort of, officiar 'economy' has /cost the!'nation millions -of money, arid, what.i&;far worse, r.has j ';;,'.mpst, ' pbweiHin L ! the present war.."—llie Times, Feb. ■2nd;a9oo. x ' ; •, ' i "There must be no flinching on the f part of the Admiralty; for fear of the Treasury, no folding of hands and ,;saying; .'lt is ho use asking for this or that, although we know it to be necessary, we shall never [get the money for it.'; The country;has hot placed—it ; wiir be a, bad; day for it if it ever does place-~its naval defences under the control 1 of. the Chancellor of .the Exchequer."—The Times, January 22nd, 1901. .'', The naval programme for 1910-11 is evidently the programme of the Admiralty, but it' would appear as if the amount voted for < ■ the. ne\v warship construction during'the, present year, viz. ,• £1,429,040 out- of, £15,000,000,, the cost ,of .the prdgrammeV was what 'tn&- Chancellor of the Exchequer, who talks about {?' Our 'futile expenditure upon armamentsj" considered adequate. ; ■'. '"Victory, in any contest go % '■the.'-' nation; that has earned it r ..by; ; tborough preparation. 'When the day of battle comes the difference of race wilUbe found' to be nothing when compared.;. with differences in 'thorough and practical training in adr, vance."—Mr Roosevelt. ; : The Boy; Scouts are, pledged riot to ask, "What is my country, going to i do for me P" hut "What am I going jto do for my country ?" ,Is it not* nearly time that people, who con- : .template^joining the Navy. League shall say, ''What; can-1, do for my country?", and not -f'What shall: L get my jpinirig the Navy, League?" Some {doubt seems, to , ( have been set at rest concerning the characteristics of > the /German cruiser-battle-ship Von der-Tann, by a statement made in the Marine Rundschau; The vessel displaces about" 19,000 tons metric, and is 561 feet long, with 87 feet beam, and 26ft 7in draught. Her main- armament resembles that ofcfthe Invincibles, comprising; eight big. instead of ; 12in—<• in four starboard turret and the port turret abaft, of six guns fire ahead and six astern, ; while - the whole -eight can be trained on, either broadside; a previous 1 report gave the ship twelve heavy.:.; guns. : An i inteririediate armament;•of' ten 5.9 i» ' guns is in the citadel amidships, and there are. sixteen 3.4 in, guns.,. The vessel is the first of the heavy class to be .supplied with turbines. They are of the,-Parson type, and their success was ,very; conspicuous, the cruiser obtaining 27.63 knots at her trials, while the contract was 24 knots,, and the engines developed 71,500 horse-power. ; Her normal coal supply is 1,000 tons, but the maximum bunker capacity is 2,800 tons. The Von der Tann : steamed found , the Skaw to f . Keil. '.....■ ..