NAVY ESTIMATES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 770, 19 March 1910, Page 5

NAVY ESTIMATES.

NEW ZEALAND'S BATTLESHIP,

MANNING ARRANGEMENT.

EXPLANATION BY MR. M'KENNA

By TcleEraph—Prom Association—Copyright (Rec. March 18, ,9.45 p.m.)

: London, March 18.•The House of Commons confirmed the vote for the personnel of the Navy.,

Mr. MTCenna said Now Zealand's cruiser would be an essential part of the Motherland's Navy, and would be manned by the Motherland, except as far a3 Now Zealand was able to supply men: Australia would man the Australian ships. Britain would supply men for those Australia -was unable to furnish, but their pay would come from Aus-, tralia. . ■ ..'"■-.- THE EMPIRE'S FUTURE TRAFALGAR. ' COLONIAL SHIPS WILL BE THERE, -■ (Rec. March 18, 10.20~pjn.) '. " London, March 18. .V At the Anglo-Saxon's Club dinner, at which Sir Gilbert Parker presided, Sir George Reid, in responding to tho tor .of the club's ; guest,: said whatever the terms controlling the relation of the Australian. navy, or'the'navies of other Dominions; to the British -Navy might be, the ships must be ready to find themselves as near the Empire's future Trafalgar as . possible. He knew that waf where the Australians' ships'would be. He had no fear for Britain while the people showed their ancestors' attributes. It would be unwise to depend on ■ branch of the Anglo-Saxon race not in the Empire, whether an ally or a friend with whom we had an- understanding. Understandings' wero very good things, and should be cultivated, but we wanted "something behind them. He did not know what an understanding could be worth, considering even a treaty was worth:little or nothing in emergency struggles between nations, which were in one form or another inevitable. There was.a greater danger to ; us perhaps ii the laboratories of foreign countries than in their dockyards. ..-■•.-

THE TWO-POWER STANDARD. A SHARP PASSAGE. THE EIGHT OF CAPTCBE. ' ; London, March 17. The- Naval Estimates were further considered in the House of Commons to-day. .The vote. of for. wages was agreed .to. ■' ... , , ■ . Mr. Lee, answering Sir; J. A. Murray Macdonald (Liberal member for Falkirk Boroughs) said the two-Power standard was impossible if friendly nations were excluded from, the computations, becaueo others would' expect to be excluded. :. Mr.•'•■ Duke : (member for Exeter) die- : cussed ■ the ■ treatment moted to the Mulliners, and declined 'to inform Mr. M'Kenna (First .Lord, of 'the , AdmirsHy)' whether. he believed the allegations to, be true. '■ :. Mr. M'Kenna, .after' i 'sharp passage with Mr. Duke, declared that the accusations against the Admiralty were baseless. Keplying to questions by some Liberals, regarding Britain's adherence to the right to. capture enemy's goods at sea, Mr. M'Kenna stated: "If we^ deprive purselves, of 'the' power of offence we aro still'compelled to maintain a supreme navy ,to protect us against. invasion; tat if assured that in the event of'our abandoning the right of- capture others will reduco their navies, with the understanding that\ ours shall'remain 'supreme, the Government will ..be willing to consider proposals in that direction." ' '■

AUSTRALASIAN WARSHIPS. 1 ANTJMBEE OF IMPROVEMENTS. .' London, March 17. r. The Australian and. New Zealand High Commissioners (Sir George Reid and tho Hon. W. Hall Jones) interviewed the Admiralty and .formally agreed to contracts for- warships on behalf of their respective Governments. The vessels will include a number of improvements upon the existing. Indomitables. They will have a speed of 28 knots, be of 18,000 570 feet long. The trials . will be completed by July, 1912. The smaller cruisers which will accompany them to Australasia will not be ready before the end of .1912. ..■ . ! ' ■ MR. MULLINER AND THE ADMIRALTY.

Some sensation was aroused in December last by. a. letter to the press, from Mr. H. H. Mulliner, formerly managing director of the Coventry Ordnanco Works. In it he r declares that he was compelled to resign his post in consequence, of warnings which lie gave to the Admiralty in 1906, and the ,Government last year, with regard to Germany's accelerated building programme.. In order to. get the best machinery possible for the largest eized gun-mountings. Mr. Mulliner sent engineers to Germany. "To Mulliner sent engineers to Germany, the United, States, and other countries. "To my surprise," he writes, "we discovered at the works of each of the German machinery makers exactly the machines we wanted being built in large numbers. Our own requirements were not small, but each of the German makers already had orders at , least ten times greater than ours, which were being executed with all possible speed, and quite irrespective of cost. It was not difficult to 'ascertain that tho whole of these orders were intended for Messrs. Krupp. Calculations showed that when this plant was delivered, Messrs. Krupp would possess a capability of output at least twice as great as existed in the whole of England, and, what was more, would havo the means of manufacturing the guns and mountings far quicker than in this country. I felt it my duty to lay these facts before tho Admiralty."

NEW ZEALAND DREADNOUGHT. CONTRACT FOR HULL LET. • TOTAL COST OP- VESSEL, .£1,800,000.

Cable advice was received by the Government to tho effect that the contract for the building of the hull and machinery for the New Zealand Dreadnought had been secured by the. Fairfield (Joniyuny, Govan, who were the lowest tenderers. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) states that the, price of the contract, which provides for the use of Yarrow boilers, is .£852,990. Authority has been given for an additional ,£21,000 to cover the cost of the substitution of Babcock boilers, if tho Admiralty, consider the step advisable'. In addition to the contract price given, a further sum of .£22,000 for certain auxiliary' machinery that tho Admiralty has provided for has to bo paid tho contractors. Apart from the requisite guns, which are' to be provided by one of the large gun' manufacturing firms, the vessel will thus cost as follows: With Yarrow boilers, .£874,900; with Babcock boilers, ,£895,900 The contract time is 24 months.

"The High Commissioner advises," adds Sir Joseph, "that including the huH machinory, gnus, and ammunition for 12 months, the total cost of the vessel will not exceed .£1,800,000. So that from our point of view tho arranpomcnf i= rawcilmgly satisfactory, ns.it i? .£200.000 helnw the estimated cost for which mrnmint authority of. Parliament was -riven. ,.