NAVAL PROGRAMME.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 494, 29 April 1909, Page 5

NAVAL PROGRAMME.

MORE EXPEDITION. PATE OF LAUNCH OF THE NEPTUNE. TWO MONTHS SAVED, (ur T?iEaiui'ji—niEsa association—corimaiiT) London, April 27. Mr,, M'Kenna, First Lord of tho .Admiralty, was heckled in tho House of Commons on the abcencp pf first-class battleships on tho Chinji and Australian stations. In reply, tho Minister stated that tho Admiralty was expediting tho building qf tho Neptune, *hich \\ouJd bo launched in August instead of October, thus enabling her successor to bo laid down early in November.

i 'y ■; '/" :^; ; : '; /C- ;';. : '(Rwr: jAprJl2B; 11.25 p.m.) . „ : April 28.i ' .:•'•' -3 Jr.;- Asquith's/ Cabinet /Cornmittee of Inquiry into 'the 'distribution ijnd readiness of the Homo fleets (Messrs.. Asquith : and HalclanQ, Lord?i/Morley' and. Crewo,'..': and Sir Edward':Grey); examined /tho First,-Lord of the: Admiralty/(Mr.MJKeiina), ■ tho •' First Lord of the Admiralty (Sir John Fisber), and:'/Admiral:, Lord;. Chas. '•■■ Boresfprd. The : be. permitted to call what witnesses he chooses, except commanders, and ■Jiis -witnesses /aro. guaranteed ; that their evi-: £ence/ ; shall : be : W^ ;OF;JHE. NEPTUNE.'. ; ■: The 'acceleration of '.the building-.of: the Neptune; is .in reply., to .'the 'German acceleration, ,v : lt ■; Jias been , asserted '■:, by:■;' Mr. H. W. •Wilson .that the.- test ..at this AnglPrOerman :(:empptitiou,'is/.the amqimt. fchat.Qerma/ny. is spending-upontl)P .thvep':battleships which, sho vo'tejl in''.l9Qßt contemporaneously; with ' tb,e .jritish/ -Neptune.'/' Nominally the Neptune isto be completed;ih/tw'o years, and the German ships, in four.' -Actually, - the German ships, are bgipg piisljed:fprward as fast as the Neptune.. "Here-are : the .figures.'(writes Mr. oh March 16);for-the total; CPpt of the ships and for.the. expenditure'yotcd year .by: year:— .- ':/://-'/./■''''.;;. ."':.-,::' British V-; German', -7■■:>. ■/;: ; .V.:■;/-'. \-:.-.. ■' Neptune - Beowulfsj - ■"■/.'■ ''::■- ■;■ :..-'/' ' ' ■ ■... 1 ship. ; 3 ships—each. 'Mai cost (estimate) « ~. -£1,700,0QQ Votertin 1908;/., '; ■;:</:; 258,000 ;„.' .170,000 Vgfedif6r:lpqp ,:{:;.v;. : ; ; ;;;852,00():.,., '■; SOi.OQO Remaining , to'oompleta : :.':'■' "■■•'■!.■'■'■'. 'v : .^'Wj9M;V^ pn/theso.figvri'es, the German ships shquhl bo first; at sea; in' other'words.: though only lajd down.last.year,.'.they/Bh/qu.la -be ,in.'service' it the of. 1310.- -: TheH German v batch laid <}own '.this year 'should Similarly be' in servio'o at: the of 1011, and. it is just possible 'th'iiv if 'the: German'/Gqvernment .gives out the orders."for ",its■? 1910/.ships in advaiice,rit:-raay have'its next /'year's programme' at. sea .in March, 1912.' Suqh faofs. upset all the current calculations;",,./-..:.\-/. /■''■:■. '■-■-''~ '-: Anq now/ ; we'. ; learnthat', the Neptune;,will' taste salt, water .tivp. tnpnths/earlier than:preprogrammed., time, -v Her /programmed .dato,- of' .'completion, is 'January,,l9ll. - // r : ,'/

INSUFFICIENCY OF DOCKS. A COMPARISON WITII GERMANY, London, April 27. Mr. M'Kenna/in reply to questions in tlic Houso of Commons, admitted that fhero was not a singlo dry dook on tho East Coast qf Britain where a Dreadnought could enter if she were drawing'moro water than, usual owing to somo of her watertight compartments being flooded, Thero 'wero five docks in Germany with this capacity. Ho added that tho Government was considering the Question' of constructing three float-ing-docks on tho East Coast.

DOCKS FOR' DAMAGED-DREAIINfIUGHTS. ■' ."VVith .regard '-tb the'number' .'of British docks capable: of taking: Dreadnoughts, particulars to hand by, th/.rflairjndicate that;'there'.'is pne dock onthe'EastjCoasp (Stephenson dock, Tyne) oapable of doing'■ so';.but evidently,■'■ if ;tho above cablegram, is correct, it-would not acoqtn'mpdate',a 'damaged 7and -partially..water-' logged Dreadnought.V. The:following is a list of: ''Dreadnought' docks'* available':— ' Qn the. • i ; -:;'K\ ->''.-'• ''■ ':Steph.enson:Dock, Tyne. iv... ■ ■ ■■■■•.,■•'••.'■' ■'"■.• ■■■/: ■■/'■ ;':■■::.■ < : ?"' ;^.;i .' 'Ppr'tsmonth-'Dookyaf d, : I No; 11. :,.,'"...- ;;': Southampton, Dock, No. 5. ; . : -v Southampton Dpok, : Np. 6. ■ ~'..; '.- •. ; .Devonport Dockyard,-No. 8. /.,:,., v. ;i:DeYonport fipQlcyaVdrNo. p.. '■ •..Devonport,Dockyard, N,o.' 10. . '-.-Liverpool, Canada Dock'.'.'-'.' ."':■'..' .-'..•; Liverpool, Brocklebank:Dock.' : . •'■; : Birkenhe.ad,- Cammell,: Laird's Traninere, :;■..'.'■.; ±. : No.. : l:[!<■■;■';'■/.:'y\,;y>h-/'.;■:,' .'; :: '-• . ■ Of ..these :pno;;ddck 'is 'on the. North Sea, fpur are in Government dockyards, .and five are private docks not -on the North Sea.-Fouf pr five' dooks(capable at. taking a Dreadnought are /under construction...;; -.-■- ■ A sphemPpf floating docks has been engaging the a.ttentjpn pfthe Admiralty for some time. One: of the projects is to moor a floating dock jh(the Jpwer;,reaches of the -Hiver Medway, capablp of ftccpmmodating a vessel of '30,000 tons displacement.- ;;• The .floating dock 'will, -it is' proposed,' bo.moored just above Queenborough, fmdWill be worked from- Sheerness Dockyard; A Second/; set,, of.moorings will be-laid further.' up,.thp s rivor,' so, that in the pvent of war it could be removed .tp -a spot' out of the reach' of hostile gunrfire from' the sea. "With' 'a lifting- power of-30,Q0P -.tons it will leasily -be able to deal with a Dreadnought''drawing- several feet moro than its normnl draught, and in. the; -position:, designed: for- it would.saye a damaged battleship essaying the risky passagb up;. the;-Medway. ",:•■'.' '■ v .-.:■■:■ ■ ■..