NAVAL ESTIMATES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 4 March 1914, Page 5

NAVAL ESTIMATES

NECESSARY OIL RESERVES. (Pbess > Association.— Copxkight). LONDON, March 3. Mr Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, in introducing the Supplementary. Naval Estimates, totalling two and a half millions, said it iwas a serious event that the- unavoidable increase of fche oil reserves cost half a million. There was now enough oil for three vears' peace or a year's war. The acceleration of battleships to cover the delav of the Canadian ships accounted for £450,000, and quicker work by the contractors for a million. Mr Churchill announced that the A.dmiraltv was ordering a large rigid airship o'f the Zeppelin type from Vickers and Maxim, one of the Astra-Torres type from France, and three semi-rigid dirigibles from Armstrong and.Whitworth. Mr Churchill said the ultimate development of the naval aerial service would b e productive of considerable reductions in other classes of naval weapons. Although the'airship programme was modest compared with the French and German achievements, we had a great and growing superiority in the seaplane service.