AN EXPLICIT ASSURANCE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 144, 12 March 1908, Page 7

AN EXPLICIT ASSURANCE.

NEXT YEAR'S PROGRAMME.

. WILL KEEP PACE WITH GERMANY. POSITION HYPOTHETICAL, i ; . (Rec. March 11, 8.58 p.m.) M London, March 11.. [ In tho House of Commons, Mr. Balfour, continuing : tho 'Naval debato, reitorated .his. comparison's of. the British, and'.'German navies, ..'and asked for a. clearer answer than was possiblo on the previous night. 1 Mr. Asquith said that: tho country must: maintain, .its.. unassailable supremacy' on tho sea. ■~Tho two-Power: . standard was. good, practicable and workable; on that thoro,was |. no difference, of, opinion. Ho. added that Mr. •Balfour's question was (confined to vessels, of the Dreadnought class. | The, assumption that Germany by i November, 1911, would: possess thirteen vessels of. that class was based on tho hypothesis,, that,: ono. would, bo built in thirty months after it,, was. laid down,, and that* tho whole programme on paper would : bo-executed to the. letter. On this point .there was gravo reason for doubt, but' for tho moment ho assumed "that hypothesis to bp correct. llo'added , Britain by January, 1911, will ■ possess twelve of tho Dreadnought olass, and later will be one short If , : Germany oompietos her programme • In' time. ?hat,assumes that nbthing will-be done here in 'the way'of now construction In '1909, or that the ' : vessels will bo laid dewn at such a- ■ i { date that they will not bo completed - . by 1911 j'.'b'ut,-' without forecasting; • the programme foi\. 1909,1 can say, without the faintest hesitation, that < if \va find thero is a, reasonable probability'of the German programme ■ being, realised, as the 'paper figures suggest, we ;wiii,!feelj it .to be our' duty to provide,'and shall provio'e, \ ,a sufficient number of shlp3, at ouoh a date of laying that by Novomber, isilVthe superiority which Mr. Balfour foreshadows will not 'be an actual fact.' ,This statement of the Chancellor of the /Exchequer was 'greeted' with. loud cheers Opposition' benches.: Mr. Asquithadded:— 1 " V ; ;C 1 ' --1 That Is the policy of the Government. It:remains on record, and ought to reassure tho Houso that wo ' v do not. intend to be left .behind. Mr.,: Asquith's concluding ■ statement was received the House with renewed cheers. '■ •" Tho Times " declares that Mr. Asquith's explicit declaration will be ireceived throughout. tjie country; with profound satisfaction, arid-no. little senso ,of relief; , ■-. : v . — - THE GERMAN,PROGRAMME. ■ -According, to {the "Standard," tho following, table shows what .the' comparative 'strength of ,tho British -and German navies will be at the oiid of 1803' .: . Great Britain; • ' • Germany. Armoured ~i , , Armoured Battleships, cruisers. Battleships, cruisors. 13 ... 33 ......... -20 :. 9 The strength of' tho Germany. Navy, sis it will be in 191-4, is indicated in the following table:—', • • ' 1 Armoured' Ship's in Commission. ' '}•' ' -Battleships. 1 ' ' - Armoured cruisers. .; Tons. ■ Tons.-' ' . ■ 19,000 .v. 13 - 18,000 :5 13,200 10 '15,000 1 A 11,000. ..1 .' 10 :-U-500 2 .... '10,000 . i ■ . 10,500. 1. : 9,000 ......... 5; : ... ' Totals '37. 14 Unfortunately the "Standard" is unable to pursuo -the comparison to, this stage. ; -It points out that "as .the British shipbuilding programmes are not, like tho German, systematically arranged' for the' futuro over a period of years, no. accurate estimate of tho British strength in. 1914 can be made."

In th'o "Standard's" opinion, "the deficiency of Great Britain in modern torpedo-craft mate her superiority in ' armoured ships of little practical uso: Tho Two-Power Standard is obviously misleading, unless it is regarded as including, a duo proportion of fleet units to work with tho'battlo squadrons,"