THE UNITED KINGDOM

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 104, 25 January 1908, Page 12

THE UNITED KINGDOM

'MR. STEAD ON THE NAVY. . ■ , ' London, December 13. Mr. Stead,, who was one of tbo 'first to arouse national interest-in the Navy, his in tho new issue ,-of the "Review of Reviews" an outspoken pronouncement on the question of maintaining the British NaVy and laying down two ships to one in answer to the new German programme. Mr. Stead, it will be recalled, wrote.in 1884 "The Truth about the Navy," which he claims was mainly responsible for the rebuilding of the first line .of defence; ■'

"Thero is ; no question," says Mr. Stead, "as. to what ffehn Biill will reply to the Gcr-' man programme, be it little ot big. He will say that lie is sorry, but -if it, must be .-so ,ho cannot help himsolf. Without any un-* friondly feeling he accepts in all courtesy the challenge which is offered him. . Ho wishes' for nothing more than the maintenance 1 of tho status quo. "He has no army to speak of,; his only, defence is his navy. The maintenance of its unquestioned supremacy is ,for him a 'matter of life and death. His readiness to secure that supremacy is tho condition tif.tho existence 61 the British Empire. Ho does not waste his breath; in'idle moan' or. profane objurgation when any of his neighoburs challenge him to m, whether or not ho is prepared to hold. his own and maintain his position. . . The challenge is none of ourseeking, we, simply "take our stand oh tho status quo., Woiare willing to .maintain the .status quo, - either by reducing, armaments; ar by arresting tho increase of armaments. But if it can bo maintainor in no other way,'; we are ready and' resolved to 'maintain, it ,by competition. , '•. ■. • "Wo shall bring forward no ; imposing counter-programme. But. when tho Kaiser lays down one keol we lav down two. That is the.fotmula of'safety. / Wo shall no moro discuss it than a swimmer disdusses Vtho necessity of koeping his head; above water.. Wo shall simply do it because we have no slt.ernativo except that./of suicide.-,;"" "We shall not be any worse friends with Germany because slier; wishes to alter -tho Btatus quo to our detriment. It is a fair challenge, and we shall accept it in,tho same spirit in which wo accepted, the challenge for the blue riband, of the Atlantic. Only instead of allowing the naval; Doutschland to tako the prizo and hold it for years while the Lusitania.and Mauretania were building, we cannot afford to allpw our,-naval snp- ' remacy to bo imperilled..,;:, N0,.-not. oven '.for a single day., 'Britons, hold your.own/. . And ; 60 say all of us." . j :• "• :FRAN T CO-BRITISn EXHIBITION. A number of guest's wero . invited yester-. Bay to the, grounds- of the Franco-British .; Exhibition, ,to> see the progress-, that, has al-: ready teen, made with the. builuings. Unfortunately'. tho weather, pas unfavourable, '■ and the. incessant rain had turned 'tho ; grounds into something approaching a marsh long before tho guests arnred. Under these conditions only a very cursory, inspection was made, but it was apparent ; that tho necessary accommodation., ~for the ■ exhibits was well, on its .way towards, completion. , Tho pavilion that is to be devoted to women's work is uow almost finished, ' and . gave an excellent impression :of the, vastness of conception that is characteristic ; of-the whole undertaking. ! Tho Palace of British ■ Industries has , also boon t roofed. in, ahd. the scaffolding and .girders ~. that, are already in position enabled those who were present to form a very fair conception of tho' : appearance which tho exhibition .will present. .'■'... Among tho more striking features yesterthe >ndo courts that are being "made around'tho Congress Hall, which is already an imposing structure, and whero a largo number of international conferences •have been arranged, and,the excavations that have been mado for the sheet "of ofhaniental water..whicli aro to be ii feature of the exaibitioti. Hugo , masses of sca.'Folding furihsr on represent - tho' accommodation that is, being provided around tho Stadium. \ ..•Despite- tho miserablo 1 wc-athor,. every, one' teemed very enthusiastic about tho ; success af the undertaking, and several of.the gnests .expressed themselves as confident .that the . exhibition would help to cement; a firm bond, of union between France; England, and.. the co'onies of the two.nations. At tlio annual 'dinner _of the Association of French Engineers, Boilermakers, and .Found-, . era on Thursday in Paris M. Jules Niclaussei tho-President said: "Wo have often heard the remark - which you too . must 'have heard; 'Another exhibition to be held in London 1' Tho answer, apart'from all political consider»tion or diplomatic programmes,. appears to no to bp plain and linal. Yes, I would msu'cr, another exhibition—that is to-.say, (pother door opened to our commercial actility, more shop windows: aud publicity, for /lie salo of our products, more customers, (hanks to our propaganda. Hence, let me rejoice, as though such. an exhibition had aever been held before. l)o you think that upportunities arise too often.of going abroad, jspecially to a market ill which tho wholo worli buys, to show who wo, are and to display the superiority of our wares?" ; EVER-READY HOME r FLEET. Were it not a well-known fact that .tho present, rulers ur tho iSavy aro imbued with a lino contempt for tho lessens of history, the present condition; of' the country's naval, guard in tho Worth Sea woiiid bo a matter as much for surprise as. it' is for alarm. Three hundred aud fifty years ago tho principles which arc to-day so lightly ignored by my lords, of Whitehall wero laid down, bvthat much despised-' monarch' Ph'ilip ll' of Bpain in words which should bo hulig in letters, of bniss at the entranco to'the . Admiralty. During tho reign of Queen Alary, Philip was anxious for the assistance of-the English Navy in a campaign against "tho t'reiich; but tho Council 'told him that tho Fleet was unfit for sea, with an added pro- , iniso that "the best of tho ships, with tho pick of tho sailers and soldiers on board, jhbuld, as soon as possible,, bo sent to guard tho Channel." 'lnis was not enough - for tho King, who wrote (September, 1555) a . vigorous marginal note oil the minute, saying that_"Engknd's chief defenco depends upon its Navy being always in geed order to .serve for the defence of the. kingdom against all invasion. It is right that tho ships-should not only bo. lit for sea, but instantly available." (Hume's "Lil'o of Philip H"). The closing words of Philip's note havo been much in requisition during tho last ' twelvo months. Last January tho Admiralty placed in thoso waters whero, if ever dur naval supremacy is challenged, tho first onslaught will bo felt, a force formed chiefly from tho vessels withdrawn from the sea-going Fleets,, whoso readiness and sflicicncy nono has n'Mr doubted; and over und over again the country has been assured that this now. force, tho Homo Fleet, would bo "instantly available" for any emorgoncy. It is a claim that has with almost monotonous frequency been shown to bo iroid of justification. Of tho twelvo armoured ships nominally composing tho Noro Division of tho Home Fleot, it has been shown by a writer in the "United Servico Magazine" that only six ships wero available during any of tho first nine months of ■ its existence. What is tho condition of that Fleet to-day? This then, is tho condition of tho Homo Fleet, Noro Divisionßattleships: Nominal 6; in dock 3; docking 2; ready 0; tho Dreadnought being in tho Mediterranean. Armoured cruisers: Nominal 5; in dock 2; docking 2; ready 1. Scouts: Nominal 2; docking 2; ready 0. Destroyers: Nominal 24; in dock and docking 22; ready 2. This is tho fleet which Lord Twoedmouth has assured tho country would bo "constantly ready for any emorgoncy," and of which R-t'ar-Admiral Firinis, commanding tho battle squadron at the Norc, said in Augus-t last: "Thero is no better (loot in tho British Navy." It is now, as tho abovo tablo shows, r "lleot" of ono armoured cruiser and two destroyers. No wonder that it is known amongst thoso other (loots which Admiral Finnis despises as "tho Sheorness collection of misfits."