A STARTLING STORY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1290, 20 November 1911, Page 5

A STARTLING STORY.

ABOUT ENGLAND AND GERMANY WAS THE NAVY UNPREPARED? A CRITICAL MOMENT. By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright (Rec. November 19, 5.15 p.m.) London, November 18. Captain W. V. i'ober (Conservative, representing Hampshire West) made a romarkablo speech at Andovor, alleging that when tho Moroccan situation was acute Cabinet was divided as to whether to stick to Franco or not. Mr. LloydGeorge resolutely upheld adhesion to France. The situation revealed our naval \inproparedness, henco Mr. Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, and his subsequent conference with Lord Charles Beresford and his proposal for the creation of a War Staff. When the pinch occurred the British fleet was divided; tho first division of the Home Fleet was in the South of England, tho second' in Ireland, and tho third in Scotland. At that moment tho Admiralty had lost sight of the German fleet. : The Cabinet did not know what was going on, but was awaro that Germany might attack the three fleets separately. Tho Admiral in charge of one part of tho fleet knew tho grave danger, and asked tho officer commanding tho land forces if tho fleet was safe under cover of the guns of the forts. He replied that if ■ tho forts fired the guns would hit tho fleet instead of covering it. Cabinet was wise enough to send Mr. Churchill, their best man, to the Admiralty in this emergency. Mr. Churchill immediately wired to Admiral Fisher to rohirn from Switzerland, and consulted Lord Charles Beresford regarding a War Board to seo that no further mistakes respecting coal, and forts unable to protect the fleet. During tho lato crisis, when the relations between France and Germany were strained, tho idea was to 6end six divisions of regulars to help France, which would have left Great Britain defenceless, except for the Navy. Captain Faber's speech explains the withdrawal of Lord Charles Beresford's book two days after his interview with Mr. Churchill.

A NEWSPAPER VERSION. (Rec. November 20, 0.40 a.m.) London, November 19. The "Observer" corrects Captain Fabcr in several particulars. It says the fleet divisions at Cromarty, Rosyth, and in the Channel were never out of touch with tho German fleet's movements, and adds that one division could havo held it, as it consisted of fourteen ships, three only being Dreadnoughts. Another division could have smashed it. NOT SUPPORTED. London, November 17. The Frankfort correspondent of "The Timos" declares that the Radical contention that the relations between Great Britain and Germany were critical in September last is not supported in wellinformed circles.