THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1912. THE NAVAL SITUATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15133, 25 October 1912, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1912. THE NAVAL SITUATION.

The Imperial Maritime, League, as an organisation devoted to. the task of arousing the public to:the necessity for greater naval energy, is naturally inclined to make the most of every incident which strengthens its arguments. After making every possible allowance for this, however, it is impossible to deny • the gravity of the naval situation or to ignore, the danger of weakening the British; fleet in the North Sea. - There is no soldier in the Empire of higher repute or more devoted patriotism than Lord Roberlsj whose : place in the esteem and aftection of the British peoples can hardly be exaggerated; and there are no Imperial statesmen of better standing than; Lord Gurzon, whose services to the Empire have been many and great. Lord Gurzon does not hesitate to point to the. Balkans as proof of* the suddenness of the outbreak of war" and to publicly warn his felllow-countrymen against "the sinister figure of the greatest land Power on the Contin- .- '' .-'.;. ; ' "■■"._ :-:.- ■ ■•.-,- :- ■.:.:■

e»t converting itself into a great naval Power." When, a cautions statesman speaks in this fashion we -cannot.be surprised. at the utterances of a soldier like Lord Roberts, who minces no words in making clear Ms conviction that "as in 1866, and 1370 war would occur the instant the forces of Germany, showed superiority on every point." The growingbelief of many well-informed Englishmen is that war with Germany is inevitable, nor is this belief affected by anything which may be said or clone by rulers, diplomatists or. politicians. Great nations cannot be diverted from their course by any influence which does not fundamentally affect their mode of thinking and j their collective purpose ; and the time has long gone by when any I Western Sovereign, c'ould build greatj navies at his pleasure or spend hundreds of millions in warlike preparations with which his people had no sympathy. Germany has been arming and preparing persistently and systematically because her national ambition, even her national necessities, 'can only be gratified and satisfied by winning the command of the seas. Britain, on the other hand, would, be committing national suicide if she permitted the sceptre of the' seas to be taken from her without a struggle. Possessed of superior sea power, Germany would have the British Empire at her mercy, for our Empire is not a great Continental organisation-~as is Russia, or China or Austriabut a scattered galaxy of colonies and conquests, built ;up from the sea and defended almost wholly by sea-power. Germany is being driven by her domestic' necessities to enlarge the markets; for her products and : to secure colonising ground for her swarming millions, and she has committed herself by vast expenditure and unfaltering policy.to secure this enlargement by challenging Britain's naval domination. She might have pressed east-

ward upon Russia, westward upon France, southward through Austria upon Turkey and Asia Minor, but she has chosen to press seawards upon Britain and the British. In the opinion of many able and thoughtful; British statesmen she can ho more stop pressing than, we can stop resisting her pressure. If this view is correct, is obvious that war between Britain and Germany is almost inevitable. =:t r ' Lord Roberts warns the United Kingdom that Germany will strike the moment she, feels that the time is opportune, as she struck in 1866 at Austria and in 1870 at France; Lord Ourzon points out that war comes suddenly ;., and that ■ unprepared peoples have no opportunity to make ready after hostilities begin. Therefore, they say, as many others say, that the United Kingdom should brain her Citizens while there is still peace in order that they may be able to defy invasion during war. At present, 'it is notorious that the United Kingdom depends for its safety upon its navy and upon its ia,vy alone; if its navy were swept "rom the North Sea the United Kingdom could not muster on land sufficient military; strength to defeat ,' ;he army corps which Germany could '; easily place on the long inviolable ion of Britain. It is not enough that 'he British navy as a whole should be ■ ■ ..■■■■-■■.■■■....■■■ .1.

stronger than the German navy-as a whole; it is fundamentally necessary to the ' national - salvation that the British fleet in the North Sea shall alwsiys be able to handle with confi- ; dence the German fleet in those waters. That. Britain' should be brought to the" condition of a house- i holder who must -keep his watchdog chained by. his door lest his house be plundered is not gratifying. to our national pride, v but it is the fact;; 1 nevertheless. The Imperial Govern- ; ment is : reported .to have the inteD;-; tion of sending eight battleships from I ji the Home squadrons to the MediterI ranean; against this the Imperial Maritime League J strongly protests. It urges that, if the Home squadrons are-thus -weakened,' Britain 1 could only place 19 battleships against Ger-1 many's 25; and 51 destroyers against j Germany's 66, should an emergency j arise! ; .In other words Germany would be in a position to suddenly make declaring war. afterwards .--with the knowledge that if her ships and crews were in any way equal to those of Britain she could break the British naval guard ; and get her transports across the North . Sea.. It may be said thatthis would , advantage Germany but little as her navy would be crippled in the attack, and its remnant would-bei-; destroyed: by the uninjured squadrons which Britain could hurry to Home waters. As a matter of |act, however, a superior fleet suffers comparatively little in naval battle aad has reasonable expectations of ahnihilating its enemy without very serious loss. This consideration "has prevented Germany from inviting the deatrucr. tion of her navy by venturing war while Britain- is her naval superior, and might' well induce Germany to act swiftly should Britain/ offer, an unexpected and unprecedented opportunity. A hundred years ago Britain would never have endured the perilous uncertainties, of-this extraordinary naval situation, but would have defended herself at her own time and in her own way.