SPEECH BY ADMIRAL BERESFORD.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13610, 20 December 1909, Page 7

SPEECH BY ADMIRAL BERESFORD.

ADMIRALTY MISTAKES.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, December 17. Lord Charles Beresford, speaking at Hull, said that Mulliners and Co., a Coventry firm, informed th? Admiralty in May, 1906. of Germany's accelerated shipbuilding, since which date the firm had never received on Admiralty order. The Navy, at present, was 16.000 short in personnel. Ho condemned the 6hort service eystem, and the reduction of the coastguards. If things did not improve, he was prepared to take the risk of offending under tho Official Secrets Act. During the last four years those in authority in the Navy had pursued a policy of evasion, prevarication, and sometimes of absolute falsehood with regard to the strength of the fleet. So long as we were the wardens of the seas nobody .assailed our supremacy, but directly we became a bully of the seas the case would be different. Wo built a Dreadnought and held it up to tho world, particularly to Germany, eaying, "Look! with this we can eink your whole fleet." Advertising our Dreadnoughts had placed us in our present position, and Germany was now spending more money on construction than ourselvee and building ships foster.