SUPREMACY AT SEA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 240, 3 July 1908, Page 7

SUPREMACY AT SEA.

ESSENTIAL FOE EMPIRE, AND HELD IN TRUST. (OY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATIOK— COPYRIaHT.) Sydney, July 2. Tlio Commander-in-Chief of tho Australian Squadron (Vice-Admiral Sir It. Poore), speaking at a Chamber of Commerce -dinner, said it was essential for the Empire to hold command of the sea. If they could keep tho sea-routes open they would hold the Empire together, and the fact that those paths were in the . hands of Britain meant a very safe investment for the whole world. • There was (added tho Vice-Admiral) a spirit of unrest jiisfc now from the Pacific to the Bosphorus, and if they were to hold tho highways of tho world for their, own peaceful purposes, they might not only look upon this spirit of unrest with equanimity, but could look upon it with a spirit of confidence born of consciousness of their own strength.

COST OF NAVY "DEPENDENT ON OTHER COUNTRIES." In a speech delivered to the Iron and Steel Institute in Hay, Sir E. Grey, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, summarised British foreign and naval policy. Tho main industry of his Department, he said, was to promote ■ peace. Though "a shindy" could produce a boom in tho steel trade, it was peace alone that could produce prosperity. Peace, unfortunately, was not so cheap as formerly. The burden of arruamonts was becoming greater. "For oursolves I would emphasis' this: that it is desirable that-the expenditure on armaments should' bo reduced, but ono nation is helpless without tho others. Tho importance of maintaining our armaments is realised by the Government. Wo realise that our naval expenditure in particular is one that must remain dependent upon that of other countries. I wish tho nations would be quite ready to recognise thoir community of interest as employers and modify their armaments, hut until they do all rocognise that thoir naval ospendituro is deponding upon one another, I do not soo how you arc to make progress with the reduction of armaments."