THE NAVAL CRISIS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14975, 22 April 1909, Page 7

THE NAVAL CRISIS.

LETTER FROM LORD CHARLES BERESFORD. AN ALARMIST DOCUMENT. United Press Association—By Electrio Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, April 20. Lord Charles Beresford, writing to a Navy League meeting at Bournemouth, wished it success in arousing the nation to a sense of grave danger, and said that if the country knew the real truth there would bo a panic. ADMIRAL WILSON. LONDON, April 20. Admiral Sir Arthur K. Wilson has been appointed a member of the Committee of Imperial Defence. The “Standard” says that Admiral Wilson is accounted the finest tactician and strategist in the Navy. (Admiral Sir Arthur Kuyvet Wilson, who was born in 1842, attained captain’s rank in 1880. He was promoted Rear-Admiral in 1895, ViceAdmiral in 1901, and in 1903 was appointed Commandcr-in-Chief of the Homo and Channel Fleets. Admiral Wilson has seen considerable active service. He served in the Crimean campaign (1854), the Chinese war (1865), the Egyptian campaign (1'882) and the Soudan campaign (1884). He was aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria 1892-95, Comptroller of tho Navy 1897-1901. Ho retired from the command of the Homo and Channel Fleets in 1907.) COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE. (Received April 22, 12.25 a.m.) MELBOURNE, April-21. The Postmaster-General, speaking at Brunswick, referring to tho great pressure brought to bear on Mr Fisher to present a Dreadnought, said that tho Government had been threatened that if it did not carry out a certain proposal, it would be displaced. Let it be so. It was prepared to go out of office retaining the esteem of it 3 supporters rather than loso that support and remain on the Treasury benches with the support of those who had ever opposed tho Labour cause.