THE COST OP NAVY BUILDING

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14658, 6 May 1913, Page 6

THE COST OP NAVY BUILDING

! Amongst those who prefer local naval activity of some kind to tho policy of paying a relatively small annual contribution to tho British Government, thcro arc doubtless a few who bolievo that New Zealand could, and should, begin to build ships of war. A re-ccntly-issuod White Paper, containing soma correspondent between Mr Borden. tho Prime Minister of Canada, and Mr Churchill, contains eomo facts

which .should dispel tho idea that it is

oaey, or oven possible, for tliis country to build warships for horself on any considerable scale in tho measurable future. Dealing first with tho suggestion that battleships can bo cxpeditiously built in Canada, Mr Churchill shows that they cannot. Before a battleship can bo constructed, a vast expenditure must "bo made on shipyards and plant. The actual construction requires the employment; of special riretera and steel workers, and already these nre difficult to obtain in Great Britain. For tho manufacture of armour plaf.es largo steel furnaces, heavy rolling mills, planing machines, carburising plant, etc., capable of dealing with weights of 160 tons, have to bo provided, and in addition, the epecial treatment to obtain the correct quality of plate requires special experts.who have been brought dp to nothing else. Masses of "heavy and intricate aad costly machinery are necessary for tho manufacture of guns, and the speciallytrained workers who are required cannot be got in Canada. Tho manufacture of gun mountings cannot bo nndertakon except by firms Laving years of experience of such work. As an example of the cost of a shipyard, Mr Churchill mentions that Elswick, in order to cope with increased work, lately put down a new shipyard at a cost, approximately, of £750,000. The experience of other countries is briefly alluded to. The Japanese, for example, have taken twenty years in working up their warship building, and even now take over three years to build a battleship. They still find it necessary, moreover, to have some of 'their ships built in Groat Britain. Mr Churchill estimates that the plant alone would cost, Canada £15,000,000. and would not bo ready for four years, and ho says that it is clear that it would be wholly unwise for Canada to attempt to undertake .the building of battleships at the present moment. In a second letter, Mr Churchill gives estimates of the cost of building and maintaining a fleet unit consisting. of a battle-cruiser, three "Town" cruisers, six destroyers, and three submarines. The cost of construction is estimated at £5,159,400, and tho cost of maintenance, at Canadian rates, at £581,260 a year (exclusive of non-effective charges, depreciation and sinking fund). Apart from the difficulties of finance, there is the question of manning, and upon this point Mr Churchill say 3 that while the Admiralty " will loyally endeavour to facilitate ''the development of any practicable

" naval policy which may commend "itself to Canada," yot tho prospect of its being able to co-operato to any great extent in manning tho units is now much loss than it would have been in 1909. Mr Churchill did not point out, since to do so was not tho Admiralty's business, that a largo effort by Canada in tho direction of shipbuilding would necessarily weaken the shipbuilding resources of Great Britain by attracting great numbers of the skilled workmen, who are already difficult enough to obtain there.