"THE DAY."

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8274, 20 October 1915, Page 4

"THE DAY."

GERMAN PREPARATIONS

"What of the German Navy? lfc.ig, the? greatest folly to regard the Get.man fleet as being * 'bottled up" or to suggest that it Ls idling away its. time within the concrete gates of Wilhelmshaven und Kiel. The Germans (writes a naval correspondent to the Sydney "Daily Telegraph") are never idle, and they .have a particularly keen,, belief in scientific assistance, and we may therefore be- sure that the best,, available brains aro being. utilised to improve the equipment of the High Sea, fleet. We may dismiss the idea that the whole or any large portion of their ships are being re-armed, but .we would., do well to be prepared for surprises on the sea not the less disconcerting, if unforeseen, than those with..which our soldiers in the trenches have: been slaughtered. "We ma\ bo sure thai nothing that < sin bo devised will bo lett undone to increase the striking poTvor' of the enenn'e. ileet, and as the w:u has revealed the resourcefulness; of German naval officers wo should disabuse our minds of the idea, that wo can afford to treat their service with contempt. We-shall commit a serious error if we assume that they have no cards left to play.

The British Admiralty,, possesses a highly-qualified staff of officers, in. its Intelligence Department. Time ami again it has proved its inestimable and it may bo that.it is. not to bo caught napping. However that' may: be, there has recently been a reerudesconse of German boasting,, and we have, heard from American sources oi; all sorts of new inventions which the enemy has prepared for our discomfiture. ' Indeed, these boasts have now taken definite form, and it .is-very generally believed in naval circles, in Home: waitors, that we aro within measurable distance of the greatest naval battle that the world has ever seen. The date is even fixed when it is believed the German fleet will make its appearance in the North Sea, and "the day" for which so much toasting on German. ships has occurred is said to be early in October. Whilst many naval offioersregard an early meeting as almost certain, there does not appear to be any apprehension as to the result, and a good deal of scepticism exists as to alleged inventions. ,

In Paris naval experts arc.discussing, the constructional miracles the Teutonic dockyards are vsaid to have accomplished, and the majority dismiss as ridiculous' tho contention that:any German effort can diminish tho vast margin of superior!ty of the British fleet. A point is made when a comparison is drawn between the German Kronp.rinz, which has just completed Her. trials, and her British contemporary, the Queen Elizabeth. Although the German ship is nearly as large as her rivaJ,.. and cost more to construct, she" is hopelessly outclassed in armament, and is. despite her elaborate system of protection, practically disarmed against ■uiio Queen Elizabeth, being able neither to effectively answer her tire at. long distance, nor to select the range that would best suit her relatively weak artillery. The French regard the Kvonprinz as' a constructional blunder,.-, as being the outcome of a defensive, and therefore- retrograde;,'policy. It is declared that the Germans, have sacrificed calibre and even volume of fi.ro to the armour protection of the hull, and this is asserted to be an error fatal to ,tho whole of German recent construction. Tho French further: feel assured'that the Teutonic boast of the superiority of the Krupp gun is an exploded: fallacy. They,- point to tho fact that their own'7s and 105 mm. field guns havo proved distinctly superior to■■thecorresponding calibres of the Gorman Army, and that. Admiral Hipper made no mistake 'when he.declined to face Admiral Beatty's guns in the North Sea. All of which makes hopeful reading, but it does not. dispute ■. the fact that the day. of reckoning, when it docs come, is going to bo an exceedingly costly one, even to the victor.