HITTING POWER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 728, 29 January 1910, Page 5

HITTING POWER.

',:"■.- : ;. : " -—->--—--'V;, '~•■' GUNNERY, RESULTS OF -THE NAVY. '■'.'.. BIG'GUN IMPROVEMENT. ■/.■, By Teleeriph—Press Assodation-OoDyriKht. - London,; January :27; I _ rn(! wol gunnery results published in ■The Times" to-day, show that in 1909 the whole fleet scored 5108 bits and', 4330 misses.;.'."-. .-.."-. .:; /' .■..■ -.'."' 'Tho twelve .and ten-inch guns have increased their average number of hits P?J 8™ Per minute' from .40 to' .63 sinco 1907.; <;-.;• ■...•■-.-.-. .■■■■.-. The China squadron, (until ■'- recently under the command of Vice-Admiral-Sir Hedworth Lambton)\ was first in -tho . trials, scoring. 68 points; the third>divi.Eion .of; the Home; fleot; (under Vicef™' ra J, Sil ' I _G- Neville) was second'with ■ -V,''." 1 ? AK tralian squadron (under ViceAdmiral. Sir/B-- Poore) was sixth, with 40 points.-...'■'.'. ';.'..';-,' -''/ -i-. ; ; H.M;S. ; Encounter (of. the -'■' Australian ' «? Points, as compared wift; 79 ; Bcored by the; King. Alfred/ the .flagship pf. the China' Station. - ' SIXTEEN NEW SHIPS BY .■!&£?. ■^■^V&}■::';■ ''/;//■'.- ; A COMPARISON ;W!TH UNIONIST : '':;^-' ; ;;' PROGRA MME.;- i ';..; v ; 4. ';..,;■'; ??&?'. .KAS ■' SECURED; THE -LATEST ':;. : ;.;?; iiiprovements. -.• •y] ;; ; '. ;,„< : '-/.■ ■ ■'■.','•:'.'-'- London, January 27. vfapoafang at Hexham,.. in Northumberland, ,Sir. ; Edward Grey, ' Secretary, for ?°mgn ; Affaus^aidV that; the decision come,to,brtho Cabinet last summer assured that/Britain /would!have, in March/ .1912, sixteen, new v.ships. .''■-,.' he>inted;out,. equalled the num.her. that .would, have bean completed in March,,, 1912,-/ under : Cawdbr programme (drawn.; up by-Lord Cawdor in 1905 .when.he.was.First Lord of 'the\Adthe last Unionist' Government, and;:providing; for'the 'beginning of four .large, armoured;-ships 'annually) ' a dded : . Sir:: Edward Grey these axteen,; new. ships' would' be ■' of a Mer-and, stronger'type, thin they/would have ■been,; if, ordered 'earlier; in acc'ordl : P ?" v v.:>' :■ LorayCawdoris'memorandum. issued in the year .1905-06 (in; November fi la id a°^i^' regards ' large : *"»oured-shipt v£?%? n S? rogrammo of ' f( "Jr annually rhat-would have meant four such- shins to be"begun/in ;1906-07, four' in 1907-08 four:in' 1909-10: and -as, it.takes-.twp .years'to complete such a : ship,,theseV.eixteen. would not have .been-all completed tiXL-1912. r - .—- argument :is -that ;the.Government, is getting the same nnmber. qf; : ships:,by : 1912,,and,better/ships. By.-.waitmg.ytod-.getting-thelatost improvements -.in- construction and enuiDment,. and/by then adding extra ships to .the ordinary programme, the Government is seouring by;-1912 sixteen ships with an average, greater/efficiency .than• the corresponding sixteen, Cawdo'rs, : whose con l Btruction, ./being ,•'. automatic . /like Germany's .;;; programme, '■ would'.necessarily. |;have.-;;been,;put' in: hand earlier. ...This increase;.in:efficiency/has been.estimated : by '' Liberal, Ministers .at SO ■ per ■ cent. ■'■ .■.:No-(loubt,the-Unioriists;;will reply that .the Cawdpr,'programme'.was-a :minimum, and;that it could,-and would, ihavi* been; extenddd; when•;/ the ; accelerattbn;' of/ the German./; programme, not, suspected .'in .1905). became 'known in 1906 (according to Mr. Mulliner) or in' 1907.. If the Cawdor '.programme.,' had .been. ■■. carried ;6ut/.■' the Government would .now;be in a,position, ■without * straining,' to havo mors. than sixteenbig'armoured'ships completed'by :1912. ;.;And;; according to .the Unionists, these .extra; ship's .are -urgently.required, (because "thessixteoh'/mentibned"by Sir ;.Edward. Gfey'-do .notprovide'a''sufficient ■margin : over i Germany^s.'fleet,., and,are; a ;long.;..way, ,bel6w,„tho twbiPower.. stan-. dard.!/!;, ; '/ ; V '■: ';■.•:;'.• /,":.'.. : ; .y.) , /'-;':■ /