RIVAL NAVIES. GERMANY AND BRITAIN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 15, 18 July 1910, Page 7

RIVAL NAVIES. GERMANY AND BRITAIN.

MR. ASQUITH'S RECENT SPEECH. SOCIALIST JOURNAL'S OPINION, By Telegraph.— Pren Association.— Copyright. (Received July 18, 9.20 a.m.)

BERLIN, 17th July. The principal Socialistic daily journal V'orwarts, commenting on the recent speech in the British House of Commons by Mr. Asquith (Prime Minister), er.ys the Government need only give the initiative in order to find at once that a majority of the Reichstag is in favour of the limitation of naval armaments. t [In his speech, Mr. Asquith said he deeply regretted the suggestion that the Government was animated by hostile or aggressive feeling towards Germany. Nothing was further from the tru<tih. He anticipated constantly increasing warmth and fervour in the relations between tho two countries, and welcomed tho various agencies and movements, which were enabling the two peoples more and niors to understand each other. He did not believe the German Grov^rnmeoit subscribed to the view that Britis*h preparations were directed against them any more .than, the view that theirs were directed against Britain. Germany was & great world Power, with interests existing everywhere, and increasing. The German statesmen and _ people honestly and legitimately believed that an increase in. their .navy wa« necessary to defend those interests. "It is not for us," he said, "to question whether the manner in which they carried out that belief is politic or wise; that is a matter for them."] "MAD, INSANE COMPETITION." "WE HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD." UTTERANCE. BY MR. s LLOYDGEORGE. LONDON, 16th July. Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in speaking at the Lord Mayor s dinner to tho bankers and merchants, said the increased national expendiitnre was due to what Admiral Lord Charles Beresford had called the "mad, insane cconpe/tition for armaments." The countries of the world wore spending £450,000,000 annually upon, machinery for destruction. "We have taken the lead," said Mr. Lloyd-George, "having to defend the greatast Empiire, but if the nations continue spending in a direction which gives, the people no assistance towards the highest civilisation, then we shall inevitably suffer." All nations were responsible for this great and growing misfortune, and Britain could only wait until there came an understanding among the people of the world. GERMAN ADMIRALTY STATEMENT. RATE OF CONSTRUCTION. LONDON, 16th July. The Daily Mail puo^shes from its Berlin correspondent a German Admiralty statement which declares that Mr. Asquith in his recent speech had credited Germany with the- acceleration of four Dread-noughts since last autumn. This was incorrect, and tho building j periods of German Dreadnoughts were al?o longer than Mr. Asquith had stated. The correspondent adds that Germany will havo eleven Dreadnoughts in April, 1912, not thirteen. She has not five now ready for war. She will have seventeen completed at the end of 1913. The German newspapers express satisfaction at tho friendly tone of Mr. Asquith's speech. Tho Daily Mail correspondent also adds : "There is no reason for supposing that the Germain Navy officials will abandon their preposterous attempts to conceal the facts regarding the rate of construction." AUSTRIA'S DREADNOUGHTS. NO MYSTERY. VIENNA, 16th July. Tho . Neve Freie Presso has protested against Mr. Asquith's statements describing the Austrian Dreadnought building as a mystery. The paper states that tho Tecnico Yard is constructing two Dreadnoughts, though the expenditure has not yet oeen guaranteed by the Government. Another two Dreadnoughts will be laid down in 1911. WHEN THE FIRST VESSEL WILL • BE READY. A REPORT FROM VIENNA. (Received July 18, 10 a.m.) VIENNA, 17th July. It is stated in Vienna that the first Aiistrian Dreadnought will be ready for service in the autumn of 1913. [It was announced in April last that tho Stabilimento Tecnico would build two Austro-Hungarian Dreadnoughts as a speculative enterprise without any guarantee from the Navy Department, and that when built the vessels would be bought, by the State. Should the department fail to buy them the Stabilimento Tecnico would, it was said, bo entitled to sell them to a Power outside Europe. Tho Dreadnoughts, Kaiser Franz Josef and Tegetthoff, will ba of 20,000 tons displacement, with turbines and an armament of 305 mm. guns. The proces-s of building will be co rapid that lhe vessels will be launched early next year. The two other ships will be laid down either both at the Danubius Yard at Fiume, or one of them at the National Dockyard at Pola. These arrangements are made in order that the ships may bb proceeded with pending a settlement of affairs with Hungary.]