THE COUNTRY'S DANGER

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14980, 28 April 1909, Page 7

THE COUNTRY'S DANGER

NAVAL DEBATE OPENED. SPEECHES OF PARTY LEADERS. IMPRESSIVE SCENE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. (By JOHN FOSTER FRASER, in the . " Standard.") There was a moment when even the vehetnont economists who sit below the ministerial gangway made pause. It was when the House collectively understood that the Germans were building battleships faster than wo are, that our maritime supremacy was threatened, and that we stood in national danger It was late in the day, but the lights had not been raised, and the chamber was wrapped in semi-gloom. The House was full, long benches of men, all grave and rather silent, listening, understanding what the peril was—an emotional thrill running through the assembly. For the first time in the life of this Parliament the clamour of party was stilled—men's patriotism rose above party. Mr Balfour was pale with anxiety—he admitted that he was more anxious than he cared to think—and Mr the menace from across the North Sea, and knowing that the dockyards of Germany roar with the clang of building mighty warships of the Dreadnought type, cried aloud that the instinct of selfpreservation dictated we must maintain our supremacy. The Prince-.of Wales was in the gallery. By his side sat a former First Lord of the Admiralty, Earl Cawdor. Close by were the Duke of Devonshire, the Marquis of Londonderry, sturdy . old Lord Bra&ey, and lesser peers. The naval expenditure of the year will be £35,142,700, or £2,823,200 over last year's estimates. New construction this year is to cost £8,885,194. Four battleships of the Dreadnought type are to be laid-down this year and completed Within two years. Preparations are made for the rapid construction of four more Dreadnoughts next year. "Not enough!" had insisted members, solicitous for national defence. "Far too much; cut down accursed armaments and save the money" had argued perfervid Radicals. That was the mood of the House when it met.

The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr M'Kenna, made a detailed statement. He spoke for an hour, reading nearly every word from typewritten sheets. He piled these on his crimson despatch box, stuck his despatch on the hd of the brass-bound chest which buttresses the edge of the table, and so provided a reading desk. With clear, bold enunciation he pleached the need of the money. An occasional tinge of colour came to his 'mobile, clean-shaven, lawyer's face when he was conscious, as he might well be,' of the intense interest which his statements excited. The stillness was impressive, but at long intervals there was a spontaneous blast of cheering when he struck a patriotic chord. MR M'KENNA AND'ECONOMISTS. His eye went to the Little Navy economists, sitting on a bench below the gangway. He appreciated that they regarded the increase of nearly three millions with alarm; he 'assured them that the Government had not come to a decision with a light heart officially he was reared in the school of economy. "But," he exclaimed, straightening his shoulders, " even tho sternest economist must make sacrifices and the safety of the country stands above all other considerations." There was a cheer. Ho plucked courage and grew stronger. "No matter what the cost, the safety of the conntry must be assured." Now the cheer blazed. Swiftly he laid it down/that we could not determine in advanc any definite limits to our Navy—tliose limits must be 'fixed by the advance of foreign Powers. So gradually he came to Germany. He and the Prime Minister and Mr Balfour recognised the friendliness of Ger-. many; but it was impossible to ignore the strides which Germany is making in shipbuilding, and intends to make. Germany has a Navy law which will give her a Navy larger and more powerful than any navy in existence. ■ Germany is hastening with the building of Dreadnought ships, and "it will tax all our resources if we are to keep up the same rate." So we had to push on. "We cannot afford to run risks," he said. He worked out statistics, somewhat complicated, but they came to this: that at the present rate of building in both countries we shall, by April, 1912, have twenty of these monster vessels to Germany's, seventeen. This was a rate of progress which Mr Balfour subsequently challenged, and in respect of which he made a comparison to Britain's disadvantage. But Mr M'Kenna was a Dreadnought man. Tho day was coming when ships behind the Dreadnough't power would have to be relegated to the scrap heap. "We cannot be certain of ' retaining our superiority on the sea if wo fall behind in this type of ship," said he. That was the note which he kept striking: we must keep, ; ahead of Germany. He said we were. Mr Balfour's contention was that Germany wall soon be passing us. MR BALFOUR ON A GBEAT DECISION.

I have rarely seen Mr Balfour so oppressed with the seriousness of an occasion. The immense fact that a decision on national destiny was to be given by the House weighed upon him. "If we decide wrong it cannot be corrected in the future." There was no appeal. However much we might wish to retrieve the fatal step we cou'd not. " For the first time in many generations we shall be in a naval position never contemplated." This was his prelude. He stretched his long, slim figure, and spread out his long, thin fingers, and-in a voice low toned and yet with a touch of the shrill of apprehension in it Jooked ahead for three years to see how we stood compared with other nations. The two - power, standard! He laughed a little huskily. W© had reached a point in regard to Dreadnoughts when the queetion was not whether we retained a two-Power standard but whether we had a onePower standard. "A—hi" cried the Opposition, in a long-drawn shout, grasping tho peril of the situation. What was Germany doing; and what did she intend to do? That was tho issue Mr Balfour looked at.

We checked our shipbuilding, nursing the empty hope that a reduction of armaments would be agreed to at The Hague Conference; but Germany not only went on building ships, but made enormous preparations with docks, slips, machinery, putting Germany in a position which, compared with us, no nation has ever yet been. The Germans had justified their boast that they could build as fast as we could. "A year ago Mr Asquith did not think tho Germans would carry out their "paper programme"; that had been falsified, for not only had they carried out their programme, but had so accelerated the speed of building that they had laid down four Dreadnoughts in November which were not due till April. Calculating on this accelerated speed in Germany whilst building in England continued

at the present speed, Mr Balfour worked out that in December, 1910, we shall have ten Dreadnoughts, but the Germans will have thirteen. By April 1, 1911, whilst the Germans will have no more, we will have raised our number to twelve, and by July of 1911 wo shall have fourteen. But the Germans will have seventeen. If Germany lays down eight ships this year, then by April 1, 1912, she will have twenty-five—in any case twenty-one—-and we shall have twenty* It was this prospective state of affairs that filled Mr Balfour with concern. "I do not," he, said, in sad voice, " approach this in an alarmist spirit, but most reluctantly I come to the conclusion that now, for the first time in modern history, we are lace to face with a naval situation so new and so dangerous that it is very difficult for us to realise all that it imports." So far as naval construction till* 1911 wont, it was too late for us .to do anything; no activity on the part of our dockyards, no generosity on the part of the taxpapers, would make good the deficiency. "It is not the two Power standard, but tho one-Power standard in the matter of ships of firstclass power which seems to be slipping from our grasp," said he. MR ASQUITH ON NATIONAL SAFETY.

Mr Balfour's manner, the deep significance of. his words, touched the House. The strange thing was the overhanging silence. . Mr Asquith was moved. He spoke slowly and impressively, agreeing that we were face to face, 'not with a party issue, but a matter which affected the well-being, and indeed the safety, of the Empire as a whole. He pressed the point that the diplomatic relations, between ourselves and Germany were never more friendly than at present. Then, why should armaments go on increasing; why was there no mutual arrangement? ' Germany—and he 6poke with solemnity had made it clear to our Government that their expenditure was according to their own needs, and their programme did not depend upon ours. They had made it quite plain that if we build a hundred Dreadnoughts we must not assume they would add to their programme, and if we built none they would go on with their programme just as it is. This sent a quiver of sensation through the Chamber. 'So Mr Asquith turned to critics of the Government on his own side of the House and denied that England had been setting the pace. But in view of a contingency which might be a menace we, in no hostility to another nation, but with the instinct of self-preservation, must build. He disputed Mr Balfour's calculations on the strength of Dreadnoughts in 1912, and said that it was a physical impossibility for the .Germans to accelerate speed in building and get ahead of u=. Mr Asquith s own calculation was that on April 1, 1912, we shall have twenty Dreadnoughts and tho Germans seventeen. DECLARATION OF GERMANY.

Then came a striking statement. " We have had the most distinct declaration from the German Government," said Mr Asquith, "that it is not their intention to accelerate their programme." That was not a pledge or an agreement, and he-could not accuse the German Government of anything in the nature of bad faith if they altered their intention. He admitted to tho full that ho was wrong a year ago in the assumption"~that the Germans would not carry out their programme; they and we could no longer take to ourselves the consoling and comforting reflection that we had an advantage in the rate of shipbuilding. He shuddered at the horrible, devastating, sterilising expenditure—but it had to be. . Rarely has the House been so chastened. It looked as though no member dared venture to speak. For a while there was a momentous pause. Professor Arnold Lupton got to his feet. When his voice was heard members, with one accord, bolted. For the first minute or two it was impossible to hear what the member for Sleaford was saying, so great was the turmoil or men escaping to the lobby.