The Navy Estimates

Press, Volume L, Issue 14916, 14 March 1914, Page 10

The Navy Estimates

The Little-Navy party at Home has declared against a naval vote of £50,000,000, but the Estimates for the coming year, which are announced in this morning's cable news, total £51,000,000. Tho differenco botween its demands and what Mr Churchill asks Parliament to vote is an accurate measure of the party's weight. Tho Estimates are much the largest yet brought forward. Tho following table shows how enormous has been the increase in a comparatively short period: 1895-1696 .. .. £18.701,000 1900-1901 .. .. £26,731,000 1903-1910 .. .. £35 1-12,700 1910-1911 .. ~ £10,603,700 1911-1912 .. '.. £44,392,500 1912-1913 .. .. £44,085.000 1913-1914 .. .. £13,309,000 To the figures for 1913-1914 havo to be added £2,500.000 for supplementary estimates, making tho total nearly £49,000,000. Fifty-one millions is a huge total, but if we consider it in conjunction with the building programme for tho year, it will bo seen that it is not a swollen one. Mr Churchill in 1912 drew up a programme for the years 1913-1917. based on a

sixty per cent, superiority over the 1 next strongest navy, according to which five capital ships were to be built in 1913 and four in each of the four succeeding years. Four ships were therefore promised for this year, and tho promise has been fulfilled. But when Mr Churchill framed his programme for, 1913-1917 he counted on, for what ho called "whole-world" purposes, the threo ships which the Government of Canada proposed to givo but wore prevented from giving by tho Canadian Senate. Tho want of these ships has been temporarily filled by acceleration of last year's programme, but acceleration of building, even if it is maintained, cannot permanently tako tho place of extra ships. It is evident, therefore, that if the Empire's naval needs as set out by Mr Churchill aro to be satisfied, and the Government of Canada does not succeed in giving effect to its purpose, a- still heavier burden will have to ne laid on the British taxpayer.

At Cromwell the other day Mr AY. Fraser-happened to say that Mr G. W. Russell had repeated Sir J. G. Ward's incorrect figures respecting taxation. Mr Russell sent a furious telegram of protest to Mr Fraser, and received this gentlo roply:—"I have received your wire, and 1 am pleased to know now that you did not repeat Sir Joseph Ward's figures at Winton, but gave the correct ones. I have wired tho 'Otap;o Daily Times* accordingly." The correspondence is set out in full by th© member for Avon, and we can only suppose that he was not entirely innocent of a desire to score off his respected chief. For our part, we are not greatly interested in Mr Russell's anxiety to advertise Sir J. G. Ward's unreliability in the matter of figures. But if Sir Joseph wishes to give his lieutenant a Roland for his Oliver, he can point out that Mr Russell has not yet apologised for, or admitted to have been incorrect, his ftatement that the Reform Government increased thc pu?V*J ."!ol"5 by about fivo and three-quarter millions by March 31st of last year.

Every train traveller has an interest in the late Mr George Westinghouse, whose death is announced this morning. The days when the engine whistled frantically for "brake?" on an incline, and the guard had to do his. share in steadying the train, lie years behind us, and tho great air-brake iavention, operated from the engine through the train, has been adopted all over the world. The brake is perhaps the most important improvement ever made in railway development. It greatly reduces the chance of accident, makes for faster travelling, and is very reliable. It has saved thousands of lives. Indeed, it was a dramatic proof of its %-alue in this respect that gave the invention its initial impetus. When young George Westinhouse first tried to get it taken up no one would give him a chance to test it on a train. Old Vanderbilt, in fact, told him that ho had no time to listen to a fool who thought he could stop a train by air. At last it was given a trial on a country line, and the train had been running only a few minutes when a bad accident was averted. A vehicle /with two horses attached appeared on the line suddenly in front of the engine, and with ordinary apliances the train must have run it down. Train travellers rolling along in comfort ar.d safety would show their gratitude by giving a thought to the dead inventor.

The "Liberal" plsa that the "Tories" are so dreadfully "Tory" tbat they will steal the "Liberal" policy if it is disclosed is still, we observe, being put forward in tho

outlying centres, and no doubt will continue to be urged until tha principal "Liberal" apologists can get the minor ones to change the subject. Wo shall bo, sorry, because wo have grown to love the plea; but no doubt another one just as delightful will be substituted for it. In tho meantime an Opposition journal in the far South lias found thc following reason why Sir J. G. Ward should keep his "policy" a secret from everyone, Mr G. W. Russell included: the Government is really so infamous that it interds to distract attention from its infamy by being good! This reminds us of a startling epigram invented by a Labour speaker at tho Glasgow congress, to which |ye have referred in these columns already. This gentleman said that "honesty is the last refuge of a scoundrel." This sums up a large section of the Opncsition case: Mr Massey is the scoundrel, and his policy is the honesty. Wo make them a present of the phrase.

If the Irish crisis should result in civil war, what would the Army do? A writer in tho 'Taily Telegraph" sees in a situation that he says arose thirty years ago in India a parallel to the situation that would arise if the British Army was called in to coerce Ulster. Whilo Lord Ripon was Viceroy of India a Bill was introduced investing natives with powers which the white pomilfition regarded as fatal to the prestige, and therefore tho authority of tho ruling race. Lord Ripon -having refused to modify it, all the white peoplo who could do so boycotted tho Vice-regal Court. The insolence of thc natives increased, and the English civilian population armed themselves and prepared for a struggle, and as a crowning protest the Bihar Lisfnt Horse, a crack volunteer corps, disobeying orders to the contrary, paraded under arms in tho streets of Calcutta. Lord Ripon sent for the General Commanding in Calcutta, and ordered him to have his troops in readiness on the day of the coming into force of tho new Act. "If there is rioting, you will not hesitate to give your men orders to shoot." "Your Excellency," said the General, "my men shall bo there, and the order to fire shall bo given. But," he added after a pause, "do you believe for one moment that one Englishman will firo upon another Englishman in India?" Lord Ripon did not answer, but he modified the obnoxious Bill.

Tho situation in Ireland is very similar to that described by the correspondent. Every soldier called upon to act against the Ulstermen would feel that ho was acting, not merely on beTialf of the law of the land, but on behalf of tho Nationalists, whose hatred of British arms is well known. As the "Telegraph" points out, the Army has a long memory. It was comparatively recently that a Scottish corps refused a proferred gift from a distinguished quarter, owing to "the late troubles," Iho troubles in question being tho massacre of Glencoe! Every regiment that fought in the very recent Boer War must remember the glee of Nationalist members of Parliament at the disasters to British arms. Only the strongest discipline would compel a regiment to serve ngainst the Unionists of Ulster, and while on the whole tho discipline of the Army is strong enough for such a test,, it would not surprise thoso who have thought about what it would mean .to the Army if here and there there was a refusal to fight, or if the officers resigned their commissions on the eve of tho struggle.

A particularly telling exposure of suffragette hysteria (to describe it by a comparatively mild term) has been made by the Bishop of London. A Miss Ansell, who was recently a prisoner in Holloway, charged the authorities with ill-treating Miss Peace, another suffragette, while feeding her by force. She had heard Miss Peace give "a shriek of pain, uncontrollable terrible pain, and then loud moans, heart-breaking," followed next day by more shrieks and moans. It was apparently her indignat'on at this treatment that caused her to call one of the doctors "You devil!" and refer to the two of them' as "coarse, unfeeling brutes." The suffragettes asked the Bishop of Londoh to endeavour to get Miss Peace released, and the Bishop visited the prison te investigate matters. He found Miss Peace in a building 300 yards away from Miss Ansell's cell, separated from it by thick walls and a courtyard, and the lady, except for indigestion and discomfort in her limbs, quite well. Miss Peace said she had never shrieked, and had no complaint to make about her treatment. Forcible feeding was not mentioned. The .Bishop talked to the gaol officials about Miss Peace, and they all gave her an excellent character From all of which it is apparent that, the suffragettes are as unreliable in their facts as they are silly nnd outrageous in their behaviour. It seems to be a characteristic of extremists to believe what it suits them to believe.