BRITISH NAVY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13626, 20 December 1907, Page 5

BRITISH NAVY.

THE TWO-POWER STANDARD. MR.. HALDANE'S "PESSIMISM." By Telegraph.—Pices Association Copyright. London, December 18 Discussing the speech of. Mr. R. B. Haldane (Secretary of Slate for War), in which doubt was expressed as to whether the two-Power standard navy could be long maintained,

the Unionist newspapers criticise this pessimism, and emphasise the potentialities of the Empire as a great family of sister nations.

The Liberal newspapers deny that it is intended to depart from the two-Power standard, and explain that the nation was simply advised by Mr. Haldanc not to neglect the territorial army scheme merely • because it possessed a stronger navy than other Powers. THE DREADNOUGHT'S GUNS. RANGE OF FIFTEEN MILES. (Received December 19. 11.5 p.m.) London, December '19. Rear-Admiral Sir Percy Scott (commanding the en si Cruiser Squadron), speaking at a dinner in London, said that if the Dreadnought were planted on Derby racecourse, 15 miles distant, her guns would reach his hearers, while the path of the projectiles would be 700 ft above the summit of Mont Blanc, if Mont Blanc stood between. Referring to the distribution of the fleet, Rear-Admiral Scott remarked that hereafter the number of ships to each squadron, and the bases of the squadrons, were likely to be changed, according to the political kaleidoscope.