NAVAL DEFENCE.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLII, Issue 1764, 16 March 1921, Page 5

NAVAL DEFENCE.

CUTTING-DOWN* PROCESS, CAN DOMINIONS HELP? [By Electric Cablei—Copyright.] [Aust. and N.Z. Cable Association.] LONDON, March 14. The First Lord of the Admiralty, in an explanatory note on the navy estimates, states that amount is £91,186,000 gross and £82,479,000 nett, representing a reduction of over £14,000,000 on the gross estimates and over £8,250,000 on the nett estimates. Taking into account the increase in prices, wages and pensions, there is a compartive decrease of over £19,000,000 as compared with the 1914-15 figures. It is intended to carry out the Government’s policy of the onepower standard as economically as possible, giving full weight to the special geographical and international considerations which have arisen since the war, but the Admiralty has effected drastic economies difficult to reconcile with the full maintenance of the Government’s declared policy. The First Lord of the Admiralty’s note to the naval estimates states that the economies effected include the reduction of capital ships from 20 to 16, compared with 28 in 1914. The Admiralty has placed four destroyer flotillas in reserve and reduced the North American and South African squadrons by a light cruiser each. There has been a complete temporary withdrawal of the South American squadron. The personnel had been reduced to 121,700 officers and men compared with 151,000 in 1915. The Hercules, Colossus, Neptune, St. Vincent. Collingwood, Temeraire, Bellerophon, and Superb have been placed on the disposal list. The need for the gradual replacement of obsolete ships by modern ships embodying the lessons of the war cannot longer be disregarded, and the sum of £2.500,000 has therefore been included in the estimates as the first instalment towards replacement, but the Government does not commit itself nor contemplate a building programme in answer to any other Power. Indeed, it trusts that as a result of frank and friendly discussion with the powerful naval Powers, anything approaching competitive building may be avoided. The Imperial Conference in June will afford a welcome opportunity for discussing fully with the Dominions the problem of naval policy with relation to the Empire as a whole and for consideration of mutual co-operation. The lines on which it will be proposed to proceed are towards the development of Dominion navies responsible to their own Governments working in close co-operation and under the guidance of a common doctrine. It is proposed to make gradual progress in the direction of the development of Dominion navies by the appointment of Dominion officers to the staff at the Admiralty, and by arranging for a proportion of Dominion officers to take courses at the staff college. The Admiralty regrets the suspension of the airship service, but in view of the stringent financial conditions no further decision is possible.