FIFTY MILLION NAVY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 763, 11 March 1910, Page 7

FIFTY MILLION NAVY

HUGE FIGURES. IMMENSE INCREASES ON lAST YEAR. PROGRAMMES COMPARED. By Telecraph-Press Assoclation-Copyriznt. (Rec. March 10, 10.30 p.m.) London, March 10. In the House of Commons the First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. M'Kemia, introduced the Navy Estimates for 1910-11. ' The total Estimates show an increase of ,£15,461,000 over the Estimates for 190910. The figures compare as under:— 1910-11 '. £50,003,700 1909-10 ... .'„ „ ... £35,142,700 Increase ... ... ... £15,461,000 The vote for new construction and armaments shows an increase of .£3,023,645 oyer the' same vote for 1909-10. The figures' compare.as under:— 1910-11'-..; ... ... ... £13,279,839 1909-10 ...' ._ • ._ „. £10,256,194 Increase ... „ ._ £3,023,645 .-: The personnel, ivhich stood in 1008-09 and again in 1909-10 at 128,000; has been increased to 131,000. Of the new construction aad armaments vote (.£13,279,839), ,£11,850,790 will be'expended on vessels which are already under construction. The balance of the vote will bo used for beginning, work on the new shipbuilding programmo of 1910-11. •This programme, with that ■of 1909-10 placed with it for comparison, is as under:— . MMi 1909-10 Large armoured ships 5 . 4 Protected cruisers 5 ,6 Destroyers 20 20 The 1910-11 programme also includes a number of submarines, the vote.for which is as against .£500,000 last year. This ■ programme for 1910-11 is-inde-pendent of the. four "contingent" or extra largo armoured ships .authorised in last year's" Estimates for laying down, if necessary, on April 1, 1910. It is also independent of the" two large armoured ships which arogiven to th'p Admiralty. by New Zealand and Australia, a'nd tenders for which are now being considered. '■'■-. Between April 1, .1909, and March. 31, 1910, the following ships have been completed (those for the preceding year being appended for ■ comparison): .

... ;.' . 1909,16. 1908-09. , Battleships ;.;; ;;.:...;. 5 3 . : 'Armoured cruisers — i Uiiarmoufod cruisers .... 2 — Destroyers ..;.;...... .: 9 5 . Torpedo boats' ......'.....;... 6 17 Submarines.' .........:•. 16 '■ 7 On April' 1,. 1910,' the following ships will be under construction (those for the preceding. April '1 being appended for comparison): April, April, '■■'■. " 1910; 1909. Battleships : ; ~:„:.;.'.....;... 7 C Armoured cruisers '.....'.'3 .1 Unarmoure'd cruisers ~;.. 2 . 2 , Protected cruisers ........ ,9 ." 5 ■.'Destroyers ', 37 25 . Submarines 9 19 ,' Torpedo boats .....'.: — .' 25. Two floating docks arc also being constructed, capable of taking the biggest battleships.. These db'cks will be completed in .1911, and will lie stationed, one in the Medwayi the other at Portsmouth,. -." (*' Mr. ■/■ M/Kenia. stated that the. aeronautical branch of the.Navy was conducting important experiments with airships"; which would bo completed for trials in the summer. He added that very satisfactory reports had been received concerning the first batch of Australian and New Zealand ratings trained in England;

GERMANY'S FRIENDLINESS,

BUT HER EXPENDITURE GOES ON. '.(Rec. MarcKiO.li.ls p'.m'.) ' London; March 10. ' In. the House; of Commons,. after the delivery of. the Navy Estimates, Mr. W. P.. Byles,. Liberal, member for Saiford North, asked whether, the recent friendly statements of the German Government would influence Britain's Navy Estimates in the direction of .retrenchment.". • Mr. M'Keirna replied that he reciprocated Germany's friendliness, but that the Navy Estimates were not based on the assumption that other nations meant to be unfriendly: .They were framed to preserve bur standard of naval power. Mr. M'Kehna added that no utterances of German Ministers indicated any intention to modify Germany's naval expenditure. .- GERMAN ESTIMATES'PASS. Berlin, March 9. , ': The Reichstag adopted the Navy Estimates. '■'■'■■ ; 'In reply to Socialists, the Government declared there was no justification 'for dny : general increase in wages. The Imperial dockyards were flooded with workmen, and private , employers . had complained bitterly of the introduction of nine hour's a day in the Imperial yards.. GROWTH OF NAVAL BURDENS. The following table shows how the Navy Estimates of Britain, Germany, and the United States have grown during the last decade:— , , Tear. Great Britain: Germany. U.S.A. ' £. £ £ idtib-Ol ... 2!),pH8,529 7,648;78i 13,35!i,57d 1901-02 ... 30,981,315 9,530,333 16,012,438 1902-93 ... 10,041,031 16;203,9'16 1903-04 ... 35,709,477 10,04i,174 16:824,058 1304-05 ... 30,859,681 10,102,740' 20,180,310 .1905-06 .:. 33,151,841 11,301,370 24,444,948 1906-07 ..." 31,472,087- 12,005,871 21,358,199 1907-08 ... 31,419,500 13,623;924 21,260;732 1908-09 ... 32,319,500 16,596,561 25,833;217 1909-10 ... 35,142,700 19,592,532 28,750;000 1910-11 ... - 50,603;700 21,704,411 - . The following table; covering the last ten years, .carrying the figures .up to 1910-11, shows at a glance how the new construction vote in Germany, arid Britain, also in the United' State!, lias progressed or retrogressed.:— SUMS tfbk NEW CONSTRUCTION . AND ; ARMAMENTS. Tear. Great Britain. Germany. U.S.A. , £ £ £ 1900-01 ... 0,788,440 3,401,907 4,344,127 1901-02 ... 10,420,256 ■ 4,921,036 5,219,357 1902-03' ... 10,-136,520 5,039,725 4,701,121 1903-01 ... 11;473,030 4,929;110 5,327i307 1901-05 ... 13,508,176 1,044,862 6,539,090 1905-06 ... 11,291;002 4,965;738 11,374(876 1906-07 ... 10,859,500 5,342,460 8,600,774 1907-08 :.. ■ 9;227,000 '6,285,225 6:783,705 1908-09 ... 8,060,202 8,360,438 7,798,815 1909-10 ... 10,256,194 10,751,406 10,015,101 1910-11- .... 13,279,839 12)177,000 - [Taking as a ratio, of increase the advance in the new construction vote, and considering that . the colonial Dreadnoughts and the "extras" are excluded, also considering that "The Times" forecasted Hint-the figure would be about forty millions, it is probable .that the total Navy Estimates are JM0.003,700, not as cabled above.] 1