THE STATE OF THE NAVY,

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12851, 9 July 1907, Page 6

THE STATE OF THE NAVY,

When we spok© of tho Admiralty the other day as progressive, we by no means meant to apply that term to ah the work of that much-criticised institution. Undoubtedly somo of its doings show the progressive spirit—for instance, the encouragement given to gunnery, which has led to such splendid shooting—but its recent policy of cutting down expenses is a causo of just alarm in tho minds of all who have th© welfare of tho Empiro at heart. Our cable messages havo informed us that tho "Spectator" considers that the stato of tho fleet is a grave peril. Such words from tho "Spectator," which usually takes a sane, unbiased view of public questions, means much. The "Spectator,' - howovor, merely repeats what has been said many times during tho last year. Agitation has been steadily growing against tho present policy of tho Admiralty, initiated under Lord Selborno and developed under the present Government. So great was tho trust in Sir John Fisher, that when he became First Sea Lord, people wero quite content to give him a fro© hand, ana critics found that on this account the publio would scarcely listen to them. Latterly a doubt has arisen as. to whether tho "cutting down" process is not being carried too far. For our part, w© find it impossible, after reading tho case for the critics, as put by " Civis " in tho " Spectator," to view the present condition of tho fleet with equanimity. "Civis," for whose authority to speak tho editor of the "Spectator" vouches, traces the development of tho present policy from Lord Selborne's Memorandum of 1902, making; a radical change in the education of officers. Ho shows that this and other vital changes have been made without proper investigation. Ho shows that whereas the First Sea Lord was formerly first among equals, he now wields a sort of dictatorship. The most disquieting part oi the case is that tho present Government appear to have considerably weakened the Navy for the sake of posing as economists. In that strange craze for economising on vital matters which seems to afflict all Liberal Governments, they have retired 6hips from full commission and given them nucleus crews, and considerably reduced th© number of dockyard hands. Aa tho " Spectator " well points out, to bring ships out of complete roservo and give them partial mobility, was on© thing, but to reduce 6hips fro*:i full to half readiness is another. The Empire depends on the ships which are ready the instant they are wanted, not ships which ar© "practically ready," +o use an official phrase. Th© cutting down of dockyard expenses has caused a serious accumulation of repairs. What might happen if war broke out is unpleasantly obvious. It may sound incredible, but it was admitted officially recently that on a certain date there was only ono first-clas-battleship with a full crew in British waters, and 6he was under repair! The typically Liberal reply to the suggestion that it might have gon< hard with England if a foreign fleet had descended on her shores without warning, was that neither Franco nor Germany would be so treacherous. It ■was one of Mr Gladstone's faults r.s a statesman that he always thought

everyone was guileless as himself, and he scetrjs to have passed his optimism on to his successors. It is no answer to criticisms to cay that Sir John Fisher approves of this and that; the risks to the Empire aro too tremendous for its nsval policy to be in the hands of one man. It is twenty years since Tennyson wrote:— "You, you, if you shall fail to understand What England is, and what her all-in-ail, On you will com© the ouree of all the land, Should this old England fall Which Nelson left so great." Unless tbo Liberal Government awake to the fact, they will '"fill up the cup" of the public indignation, and find themselves compelled to give place- to Ministers having a truer, deeper senso of their responsibility to tlie Empire.