THE MEDITERRANEAN FLEET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10683, 1 August 1912, Page 4

THE MEDITERRANEAN FLEET.

Tlie. question, (of the maintenance of the Jfit'itoah fleet in the Mediterranean lias 'been the s'ubjact of a rather heated d'iscuasion im pditicu'l .circles at Home cif late. In sarnie quarters the ialtl?rat:ion, in tlie decision of the First Irord of ithe Admiralty is interpreted lio im-ean iQat an case of emergency he "is aipprehciniS'lve thai; the Italian and Austrian navies (ivcvuld act in concert. Dealing with this aspect of the question), tkto Rome ecirrespoiide-nt of the london n'iuicis eays :—"Certainly the exact I'in.iituitions of the T'riphce are •not known, but, whatever they may be, it io obvious- they ilmvo not prevented former ainders.tand?n'gs between Italy and France and England, and they do .net interfere with certain uaidcirstanidings to-day. Briefly put, the c'riffieaiJity of persuading the Italian Navy to operate 'in conjunction with fiie Austrian! against a combination of English and 'French' ships would bo a; igneat as to he- aim est insuperable. Such a co-operation would only be conceivable in the case of Italy having .been forced into -more intimate and dependent (relations witUi her al-kies-,by lan' absolute exclusion; from the mutual (arrangements, of liter friends. It must be admitted, of course, that the potation of Italy between her allies ,and her firiends lis one of some delicacy, that Certain possibilities are xrt left i:c:klisouthed, annol that often tli.o--Ibciafc o'f v.'nidcrstandinois may be marred jby too anueh publicity. But to luauiTiio the enmrity of Italy as a certain if actor is 'realily going to the •other extreme ; lit is a needilatfj aft-rent to a sensitive nation just at a critical moment when it is anxiously trying to discern l .between, those who wish it weW and those .who do not."