NAVAL SENSATION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10482, 20 November 1911, Page 5

NAVAL SENSATION

CABLE NEWS

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph — Vopyright.

A OARKABLE SPEECH

BRITAIN'S UNPREPAIIEDNESS

FOR WAR

(Received Lust Night, 5.5 o'clock.)

LONDON, October 18

Captain Faber, Unionist member for Hants in the House of Commons, made a remarkable speech at Aridover. Ho alleged that, when the Moroccan situation was acute, the Cabinet was divided as to whether to stick to France. Mr Lloyd-George resolutely upheld adhesion to France. The situation revealed the unpreparedness of the navy for hostilities; hence the appointment of Mi - Winston Churchill to the head of the War Office, his subsequent conference with Lord Charles Beresford, and the proposal for the creation of a War Staff.

Captain Fabor alleged that when the crisis occurred the British fleet was divided. The First Division was in the South of England, the second at Ireland, and tho third at Scotland. At that moment tho Admiralty . had lost sight of the German fleet, and the Cabinet did not know what was going on. They were aware that Germany might attack the. three (leets separately.

The Admiral in charge of one part of the fleet knew of the grave danger, and -asked an officer commanding the laud forces if the fleet would be safe under cover of the guns at the forts. The officer replied that if the forts fired they would hit the fleet instead of covering it . The Cabinet were, said Captain Faber, wise enough to send Mr Winston Churchill, their best man, to the Admiralty in this emergency. Mr Churchill immediately wired for Admiral Fisher to return from Switzerland. He also consulted with Lord Charles Beresford regarding a War Board, to see that there were no further mistakes respecting coal, and the forts being unable to protect tha fleet.

Captain Faber alleged further that,,' during the late crisis, when the relations, bet ween France and Germany were strained, the idea was to send six divisions of the regulars to help Fnance, which would have left Britain defenceless except for the Navy. Captain, Faber's speech explains the withdrawal of Lord Charles Beresford's book two days after the interview with Mr Churchill. i

CAPTAIN FABER CORRECTED

GERMAN FLEET'S MOVEMENTS' WATCHED. Received This Morning 12.40 o'clock.) LONDON, November 19. The "Observer" corrects Captain Faber, M.P., in several particulars. It says that the fleet divisions at Cromarty, Rosyth and ths Channel were never out of touch with the German fleet's movements. The paper adds: "One division could have held it up, as it consisted of fourteen ships, three only being Dreadnoughts. Another division could have smashed it."