BRITAIN'S NAVY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10676, 24 July 1912, Page 5

BRITAIN'S NAVY

INCREASE IN FLEET OUTLINED

MADE NECESSARY BY GERMANY'S ATTSTUDE.

(Received July 23, 11 a.m.)

LONDON, July 22. Mjr Winstoi. Churchill (Fiist Lt i.'d of the Adurj.uJty), in introducing i'ho Navy Supplementary Intimates, said they were due to now German Navy Law, under which four-fifties of Germany vessels were in instant readiness for wa.r. Thus proportion wa>s ■unprecedented in modern practice. Great Britain's programme of oon•stiruction for the coming five years would be increased "by four Dreadnoughts, an acceleration of smaller cruisers, and a larger number of de-. etroycrs and 'submarines. Eight battleships wouM ibe stationed at Gibraltar with ei:<tysidi:!/ry base at Malta.

Mr Churchill, added: "By 1914 fnliy commissioned hattlesGiiptf will be increased ftxmi twenty-eight to thir-ty-three." Mir James O'Grady, (Labour membar for East Leedis) angViJy but vainly demanded precedence over Mr 'GhuirchiK'e statement. Consider the dockars' starving families'," he cried, >a.nd, throwing his papers on the flow, exclaimed, "It'® a 'damned 'scandal !" 1 He then quitted t'he Kir)use.

SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES.

RiEMARKABLE GERMAN' EXPANSION.

KAVAL POLICY OUTLINED

(Ifeceived Lfaat,'Night, 11.45 o'clock.)

LONDON, July 23

In the House of Commcns, the lit, Hon.. Winston Churchill, dealing with the Supplementary Naval Eistimites ,said that the Gcirmail plans involvd a remarkable expansion of istbrength and efficiency. By IS2O .tho' iiaw Geraran neet would consist of fou'ty-ono battleships, twenty battle mrkei'S,' and forty .siriall crui«en~, (besides an ample proportion of dc:>- | troyenis and submnli nets. Newly fonrj fifths of these would be enaiotarncd in permanent commission. Such a fleet, | he mid, would be aboiut as numerous and superior in actual strength td.the fleet which took part in the recent review at Spiiilicad. "'Cool, steidy and methcdrcail prcparr-ticn cvi- .successive years," he said, "alone will raise our margin of naval power, I't would ibe useless to money about on impulse. We should learn, from j tv'jnr.'.v.iy, p../icy rw.'till's i:afiwcrvir.gly. We nrast have an ample •n-.r.'gi.il of. strength •.cdt&ntly ready. The. amount Ask eel for in the ev.pplemeai'tary estimates is- only the firet instrument in the extra expenditure u'lmli the -new law entails. Germany is spending about a million a year 011 submarines. We ba.nnot 'allow our lead to dimontah.. is imperative to swiftly increase the j .riuiiKfofir (.if fully ecmm'u-.'o-ncd battleships. From 1914 onward wo liicnkl have five I'laiTici-hip squadrons, comprising forty-< Vie 'ba-ttle-j ';hip&, a with Germany's twenty-n'ine, of which four fjquad'i'cns will remain in full commission. It is i nccu earv to lan'geiy increase the personnel dur'-ng the nex'o four yeau's." Mr 'v.''xir:Ui4>. denied that ithe Admiva lty Iliad recourse to all available reservists;, oar ring the r scent

imanoomtr&i. It had c'nly utilised 4000 out/of the. 60,(100 available.

The R't. Hon. Winston Church<s.l, continuing, said that t.lie ,problem did r.Tit rest upon the suipjp'iy cf men in war tim,t\ but an. increase in the actual service raftings permanently employed. He foreshadowed an increase of pay, and »s<iid that he •would make definite pwposalis in the autumn. The n.aval n««!:x,'ii in the ' JkledrUrvn-nean wen about to unde'rpn -mpcs-tai change.?., in view -cir the advent of the litalinn and A-ui.V.r:-a.n •Dreadnoughts. He demurred from the iU.isiiiTiptii'C'ii that these Powers were Likely to combine against (ireat •Britain. He demurred also at the ''iipm ?n (•hat H'l'HiliOn ougjlit to mainltain a local yuperiicii-i.ty in the LXteditenranean over the combined fleets. A*.\y attcnri|:'i: to confine the eUiprenmsMcy to a p&rtccnia'r whter was felse (Strategy and had politics. They .proposed to withdraw six of the olden- ' ta'io.r-.Fllr'ips,. repkui.tig .'diem with four Jnvincibles. They ateo proposed repkij«ciivg miionreil 01-11:010 with more pow- ! iM'fu-lly-built yhip-s.

CABLE NEWS

(Uniti>d Press Atsociation—By Electric Telegraph—Covyyight.)