BRITISH NAVY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 92, 18 March 1936, Page 9

BRITISH NAVY

INCREASE IN ESTIMATES. . .EXPLANATION TO COMMONS. BATTLESHIP SUPREMACY. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 16. At the opening of the House of Commons debate on the Navy Estimates, which amount to £69,930,000, an increase of £9,880,000 over last year, the ' Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (Lord Stanley) paid a tribute to Earl Beatty, whose funeral took place this morning at St. Paul s Cathedral. . .

He explained that no provision was made in the Estimates for any additional expenditure arising from the proposals for making good the denciencies outlined in the Government s White Paper on defence, nor for the 1936 construction programme. These large items would have to be the subject of supplementary Estimates. The increase on the 1935 Estimates included £4,645,000 for construction already authorised in the 1934 and 1935 programmes. Provision was also being made for large requirements of ammunition, mainly anti-aircraft, and greater fuel supply. The Fleet air arm vote was increased by £1,193,000, allowing for the addition of 27 machines —three for 'carriers, twelve for battleships, and twelve for cruisers—bringing the total strength from 190 to 217, and for the replacement of 84 machines by new aircraft with full reserves.

After assuring the House that as a result of experiments the danger to battleships from aerial bombardment would be provided against _ in new construction and reconstruction, that counter-attack by ships’ anti-aircraft batteries had developed out of all knowledge, and that the Admiralty would always be ready to increase its knowledge by new experiments, Lord Stanley said that the conclusion was that battleships would not be made impotent by air attack, would remain supreme at sea, and that they remained essential. For the Opposition, Mr A. V. Alexander criticised the absence of active or adequate consultation with other League States as to their respective contributions to collective security. Sir Archibald Sinclair (Liberal leader! doubted if greater efficiency and economy in the protection of trade routes would not be obtained by a readjustment of expenditure between sea and air defence. Mr Winston Churchill declared that the first foundation of British naval policy was acceptance of parity with the United States. There could be no idea of naval rivalry between the two countries. It was fortunate that the three Powers which maintained regular battle fleets were situated at opposite corners of the globe from which attack upon each other was almost impossible. Idle debate is continuing. SUBMARINE WARFARE. Received March 18, 9.45 a.m. LONDON, March 17. The Admiralty declares that Sii Dudley De Chair’s account of an antisubmarine device in the House of Commons was without foundation.