NAVIES AND PEACE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 617, 21 September 1909, Page 5

NAVIES AND PEACE.

BERESFORD'S IDEA. COMMERCE-PROTECTION CRUISERS, PEELERS OF A BATTLE FLEET. (Uj TdccrnDli.-I'rosj Association.-Ooojrlclit.l London, September 19. Lord Charles Beresford,' in< a letter to tho Imperial Industries Club, declares that Britain's recent policy invites a sudden attack oh her trade routes'. "It is well known," says the Admiral, "that a possiblo enemy has inado all arrangements for arming merchantmen with' small guiis, and it .would bq a simple matter to send them to tho trade routes beforo warlike operations began to be in readiness to prey on British vessels." Admiral Beresford reiterates his demand for additional small cruisers for the bettor protection of Britain's supply of food and raw materials. Ho contends that without more cniisera and sea-going destroyers a battle fleet would be' ineffective ANCLO-AMERICAN PEACE LEACUE. WHY NOT? Now York, September 19. Admiral Lord Charles Beresford was tho guest of honour at a luncheon given in New York by the Pilgrims' Club. Referring to the European situation, Lord Charles remarked that the-outlook was dark. Supremacy on tho sea was a matter of life or death to tho Empire. "Measures are being taken for defence," said tho speaker. "I do not mean aggression, but merely a determination to hold what;wb have.

'"What we want is to prevent war,:and. to be .so .strong that nobody will attack us., Why should not the, English-speaking . nations got together arid say, there shall not bo war?",V' ; :;; /•/;...;; '• ■'.:•-.-; WDMIRAi.BERESF.ORD AND HIS CRITICS. i Admiral Lord Charles Boresford, in his. Juno speech, elaborated his pro-cruiser and antiDreadnought ideas. Thoso who advocate the laying down of two Dreadnoughts to Germahyfs one he called "wild■..men.".' ■, ,-, Their advice, he stated, wonld land us in an expenditure, of eighty-four, millions sterling on Dreadnoughts alone before the present German programmo ended. And it would make not the. smallest provision for other units of the Fleet;-; Yet a fleet of Dreadnoughts without cruisers -and scouts and, destroyers is like an army consisting entirely, of heavy artillery .'without.cavalry or., infantry...7 :i .'.."lt, is: truß that ■ the. proposal I make does not allow for: the possibility of German' ac-" coloration, nor/for the proposed laying down i of four Dreadnoughts by Austria. /Let us talk abotit those things when they happen, not before. ,"Tlte. polioy.of the Admiralty. is';wrong. It has: been dictated by false economy, and does,not make your fleet efficient, or .anything like it.;. When the .controversy started' this country; possessed a four-Power, standard in big ships. At tho present rate wo shall scarcely, have' a One-Power standard in 1914. Hut if. 1 these wild men had their wny they would rnn us into'.an expenditure of 200 millions .sterling and -bankrupt;the country." ;. It was a criminal.thing to 6crap tho com-merce-defending cruisers. ; Every country has its 'weak ; spot, ..but no other country has' a weak spot so bigas.ours..We have no margin of fond supply, or raw material.' Wo depend on .its. regular delivery not ovcrv week, but every day. ...What,is the good .of lending a war fleet .to sea when our line, of supplies, has been; cut, when bur ..jugular-vein is already .severedP '. ■ ■ '-'■■' . ' -Admiral/Boresford .also advocated, fifty-two more destroyers, bringing 'the total- up to 134; ™ new boats must'.ho,swift nnd'.strong, for Worth, Sea work (' many' of "the : destroyers ; we possess were designed with .Franco in our eye. ' 7 Commenting "on "'Admiral Bcresford's pro-' gramme. Mr. William Maxwell remarks:. "If ■he':, wants;.,tpn battleships' by 1914, including thn extra .four,7tUis..year, : 'this, wonld 'mean only.three in.each.Estimate for 1910 and 1911. It -is/, needless, to point; out ■;■ that more.- than this- number would be built in the; ordinary course. ,Ho.asks .-for eighteen second-class cruisers,,eighteen/commerce-protection cruisers', and'tewnty-fpiir small cruisers-thntis fifty, or at;the rate.of seventeen n year. This is a preposterous proposal.,. Our/ preponderance in armoured' cruisers, . fight;compared -with tho.seven of Germany, for; example./ Something " may •■' therefore. be taken-,oh the small .cruiser programme. We