TO-DAY'S CABLES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 10 February 1909, Page 3

TO-DAY'S CABLES.

THE STRENGTH OF THE NAVY. V (Beoeived February 10, 8 a.m.) . : LONDON, Tuesday. ■?Dr. T. J. MaeNamara, Financial Secretary to the Admiralty, speaking at Blaenavon, said that Mr McKenna, First Lord of the Admiralty, was under no delusion regarding the vital necessity Of" maintaining the Navy's unassailable supremacy V The Admiralty is" forming a reserve of operators of -wireless telegraphy. - Messrs, .Gibb, Eason and- Son, of Westminster, have contracted for the construction of the naval base at Rosyth, at £3,250,000. (The schema for a naval base at Rosyth has been thiur defined by Lord Tweedmouth: "Along the whole east coast of England anr; Scotland we had not a dock caoablc of accommodating our great fighting-ships, and tho Government had decided to establish a new naval establishment in the Firth of Forth at a .place called Rosyth. This, they had come to the conclusion, wOuld be the most suitable place, and one most useful to the Navy. There they proposed to construct in the first place a graving-dock ■ capable of taking our biggest ships, then a big basin, aud quays which would accommodate 22 warships alongside' them. "If there were double-ba-nks provided, 44 warships could be accommodated. Already there were considerable land- defences in the Forth, and they would play a very substantial part in defence in the event of a foreign attack. It was. a very serious resolution for the Government to have arrived at, but he believed it was to the advantage of the country, arid he did not think that when the works were completed they would involve any very increased—cost''on the dockyard estab- *— ttgkments of the country.") THE PROPOSED AUSTRALIAN ' . NAVY. AN ORANGEMAN'S SUSPICIONS. (Received 10.15- a.m.) SYDNEY, Wednesday. Mr Johnson, a member of the Federal House o,f Representatives, speaking at the Loyal Orange gathering, sad they would have to carefully watch the naval policy of the Commonwealth, because under the guise of creating _-i Australian navy the party in power were striving to get the nucleus of a navy that would not act 'ii conjunction with the British fleet, but some of them would not say aU they had ii> their mind's eye till the time when they would be able to turn the Australian fleet against tho British ileet in Australian waters. The sentiment was there and the spirit was activc-iy fanned in quarters whicii the Ci i y.e institutions ■ actively opposed. THE COMMONS AND THE LORDS THE COMING STRUGGLE. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS. (Received Feb. 10, 8.30 a.m.) 'LONDON, Tuesday. Mr Ure, .speaking at Cockeriuoutb, said the severe struggle wiih tli3 House of Lords was about to begin. By a single clause in a single Act the Liberals would end the Lords' claim, aud instantly restore the unalienable rights of the people's representatives. Mr\ McKenna and Mr Harcourt :ii" also threatening the Lords ou the lines of the late Sir 11. C. Baiin-;.'-inan's resolution. ; (Mr Alex. Uro is Solicitor-G;ner.il for Scotland. Mr McKenna is First Lord of the Admiralty, and Mr L. A*. Harcourt is First Commissioner foi Works — all Ministers.)