BRITAIN AND GERMANY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14926, 31 August 1910, Page 9

BRITAIN AND GERMANY

RIVAL NAVIES. ADMIRAL MAHAN'S WARNING. ' AUSTRALASIA AFFECTED. (From Oub Own Corrk3posdest.) LONDON, July 15. Admiral Mahan, the American naval expert, has three columns in tho Daily Mail discussing tho naval problem as it affects Germany and ourselves. Ho holds that the huge development of fh'e German navy is a matter of general international importance. Discussing the weakness of insular communities, the admiral proceeds:—" What reason is there in tho nature of things that f.ho British democracy' should not maintain an army proportionally as great as that of Germany? None, except that tho British democracy will not. The. national wealth is vastly greater; but, notwithstanding this, which indicates not only a oertain greater power, but. a much jrreat-er slake, tho national will so to-prepare does Jiut exist Many distinguished Englishman advocate measures tending 1.6 this resultto tho nation in arms; but 1 doubt ii anyone outside of Grcut Britain expects to see it, ( There remains the Hoot, and it is tho privilege of insular democracies to pursue tho quiet tenor of iheir way behind the bulwark of .t fleet' ellioicnt in numbers—that is, in great preponderance— as well 04 in intrinsic worth. But note that a State thus favoured is militarily in the same position essentially as ono that hives an army of mercenaries. The only difference m that the seamen are fellowcitizens. Aii immense distinction, it will bo granted, but it doce not invalidate, the fact that tho mass of citizens are paying a liody of. men to do their fighting for them. It follows that the least the .mass can do in self-respect as for security is to pay amply and timely for the efficiency of the body they thus employ. OUR UNPARALLELED PROBLEM. "Democracies havo .had various tasks thrown upon them at various times, but never perhaps one- equal in difficulty to that which confronts tho demoSviey* of Great Britain. As it now stands tho British Km-' p.iro territorially is im inheritance- from tunes not democratic, and the world is interested to tee whether the heir will prove equal to his fortune. There are favourable feignjs. One of the most so that has mui my eye has been' the decision of tho Labour Government in Australia that in time of war tho Australian navy should be at the absolute disposal of the British Admiralty. Such sentiment, realised in commensurate action, is effeotivo Imperial democracy. But my reading has not tound the corresponding rcticetion of this determination in, tho British Labour party at Home; rather, ithas seemed to me a disposition to undervalue the necessity of preponderant naval force even in European waters "The security of the British Empire, taken as a whole, with manv parts, demands first the security of the British Islands as tho corner-stone of .the fabric: and. second, the security of each of the outlying' part 6. This means substantially British control, in power if not in presence, of tire communications between the central- kingdom and the dominions. This relation is essentiallythe same as that of a military base •>£ operations to tho front of the 'operations themselves."

, THE NEW GROUPING. . Admiral Malum contends that the new grouping constitutes Germany the immediate antagonist of Great Britain, and says;"It is entirely true that for the moment tho naval concentration at Home, coupled with the tremendous positional advantage of Great Britain over 'German trade routes, constitutes a great measure of security; and, further, that the British waters, occupied as they now-., are, do effectually intorl>ose between- Germany and the' British oversea (loriiinions. The. menacing feature in the future is the apparent indisposition and slackness of the new voters of the- last half-century 'over against the, resolute-.spirit and tremendous faculty for organising strength evident in Germany." THE MEDITERRANEAN. In the opinion of Admiral Mahan, the concentration of the battle fleet in Homo waters is correct; the relative abandonment of the Mediterranean for that purpose, if for the moment only, is likewise correct, especially as the "Atlantic"'fleet may be considtred an intermediate body, a reserve, able Jo move | eastward or southward as conditions require; but the cloar«roluctaneo to acquiesce m present-naval requirements is ominous of a day when the Mediterranean may .pass out of the sphere of British influence, centred round the British Islands exclusively. This will 6ymbolise,. if it docs not at onoo acconmany, the passing of the Empire; for a hostile force in the Mediterranean controls not onlv an interior line—as compared with the Cape route-rbut an interior position, from which it is onerativo against tho Atlantio as well as in tho East. It is difficult to overstate the effect of this upon the solidity of the Empire; for the Mediterranean is one, of the jn-cat central positions of-the maritime worm. A u-eakenod Mediterranean force is tuo symptom that neither as principal nor .15' ally roaj; Great Britain be able tq p'ay the part hitherto assumed-by her in the great drama of which the awakening of tho East is the present act; while among the dramatis p-ivsonae are Egypt, India, Australia, and New Zealand. FOREIGN' COMMENTS. _ The article has been widely discussed in the Continental ' Press, and the semiofficial A T ossische Zeitung makes a very pertinent observation with regard to' Australasia. The paper says:—"Admiral Mamui blames the fingjish voters for unwillingness to .make sufficient sacrifices for wie llect. This may appaa* an incongruous attitude for an American admiral, .because the English navy is already overwhelmingly stronger than the American. If the English follow Admiral Marian's advice and build more Dreadnoughts British superiority will bccomi! still greater. Admiral Maihan 'meets t/iis objection by mentioning tho military clinch which tho interests of Canada immiSe upon Great _ Britain. Thero is certainly soiiw truth in this, but is the argument sufficient to outweigh the rreas difference between British t and German naval strength? It remains to be teen if Admiral Mahan will have any better luck than Lord Charles Beresford when the latter attempted a year ago to make America believe that German's growing naval power spelt eventual disaster to the. Monroe doctrine, Germany, like her Austrian and Italian allies, has never owned a foot of American territory. Our colonial expansion is in Africa and Australasia It ,is impossible that wo should choose American soil for such purposes But if the United States think a formal and binding recognition of the Monroe Doctrine is desirable, the* will find in Germany tho greatest possible readiness to give it." The s ame journal says that Germany has no desire to do away with the Monroe Doctrine,' and that tho friendship bc.twcen America and Germany will survive.

The Conservative- Deutsche Tageszeitung says:—"Signs nre not lacking that we are on_ the threshold of another German campaign in connection with the. increase of the British Naval Estimates such as marked last winter's genoral elections. In Admiral Mahari's article in the Daily Mail, however, we havo bsfore us tho serious work of an expert; His observations certainly contain much that is true, and the heavy gun fired by the American Admiral is destined to produce a resounding echo." Professor Schiomann, the Kaiser's conndental adviser on " Weltpolitik,"- who is hims?lf quoted m Admiral Mahan's article, says if., his weekly review of foreign politics in the .fr&uz Zeitung:-" Wo had hoped that. Lie idea of increasing- the naval armaments had been banished~at -least from the programme of -English -Minister. But, as we must to our regret record, the, change for the better which- appeared to have sot in after the ■ Kaisw's recent visit to England was only tem-rorary." "TWILIGHT OF ENGLAND." The Paris Eclair reproduces the article iindei' th« above heading. The journal draws tho conclusion; that Great Britain " cannot- defend' hereoif in Europ-a against a strong navy and at the. same time assure the safety of her Empire. England can no longer play lici- .old part in the world, and irresistible oauses are hastening-her decline." ....