NAVY ESTIMATES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19476, 11 May 1925, Page 13

NAVY ESTIMATES.

MR BRIDGEM’AN’S STATEMENT. LIBRARIES FOR THE MEN. OFFICERS’ MARRIAGE ALLOWANCE. (FiSou Ooa Own Correspondent.) LONDON, March 25. Nothing of a sensational nature was disclosed by Mr Bridgeman (First Lord of the Admiralty) when he presented the Navy Estimates to the House of Commons. The fact that they contained no provision for now construction took away a great deal of the interest which usually attaches to such a statement. The House already knew that the decision to refer to a committee for report the whole question of the programme of replacement of cruisers and other warships had been arrived at in order to draw up a programme spread oyer a certain number of years as a steady list of replacement works. Mr Brigeman said he would have preferred to have one bite at the cherry instead of two, but it was not unreasonable that a Government which had only come into office within the last few months should desire to make rather a full survey of the situation and circumstances before committing themselves and the House to a long programme of building construction. The Cabinet decision would bo reached in time to allow of a Supplementary Estimate being introduced before the close of the summer, and, therefore, those who might have been apprehensive that the committee meant indefinite postponement need have no fear on that score., ' Of the actual increase in expenditure £3,300,000—£2,106,C00 was due to certain automatic and inevitable increases, such as increased w-ages and awards, replacement, of war stores, and increases in Navy pay and men's marriage allowances. On the other hand, they had saved £680,000 by not having to pay the annuity to the Naval Works Loan, so that there remained £1,804,000 of incTcv* s Desides those ho had mentioned.

EXPENDITURE AND CONSTRUCTION Although Mr Amery, in 1923, cat the Navy Estimate to the bone, last year, when the Labour Party was in power, they were cut very considerably below the bone. The legacy which he had inherited from both his predecessors had put him in the unfortunate pc&ition of having to ■ make up this year what they had over-reduced in previous years. Coming to the increases which could not be described as inevitable oi automatic, he said that they had spent £190,000 on re-tubing cruisers and destroyers built during the war. The position of our Fleet at Malta had rendered an increase of staff there necessary, and the cost of the increased staff in foreign waters amounted to £163,000. New dockyard machinery cost £104,000. No one would begrude that, because it meant greater efficiency. Increased requirements for material, partly due to a depletion of stores, amounted to £352,000, and increased sea stores, £328,000. They had to spend £215,000 on torpedo and fire control and other new special apparatus. They hail also provided £350,000 for officers’ marriage allowances. The total net increase was £1,804.000, and he thought that waa the least they could possibly have done. With regard to construction, during the year 1924-25 one cruiser had been completed, and two flotilla-loaders, three destroyers, am! throe submarines. In 192525 they expected three cruisers would be completed and two submarines; in the following year, 1926-27, in all probability, the battleships Rodney and Nelson would bo completed, and in the year after that the five county cruisers which the Labour Government laid doyn. All our obligations under the Washington Convention had been carried out. Not only did Great Britain begin to fulfil her obligations before other countries, but she had completed them in advance of the proper date. — (Cheers). It was proposed this year to start reference libraries, for the benefit of the men who wished to improve tneir education, in 70 ships and establishments ashore. He was glad to say that the system of vocational training started by Uie previous Government had met with considerable success, and it was proposed to find means to develop it still further, as it was of great use to men leaving the service. No manoevres on any largo scale had taken place, or were to take place, this year beyond the ordinary fleet exercises. EMPIRE CRUISE. The Empire cruise of the special squadron was, admitted to have been a great success in many directions. It was fitting that, when wo were able to see at Wembley the development of our great Empire, its resources, its power, and its produces, that the dominions and colonies in their turn should have u glimpse of that great peaceful force of the British Navy, on which the security of their trade and ours so much depended. They had had an opportunity also' of seeing how much the Mother Country had to pay for the security of Imperial trade. Certain things to which ho would refer later had, no thought, shown that the effect of the tour had been to make the dominions realise what a heavy burden the Mother Country was bearing in that f aspect, and that, os they grew in importance and prosperity, they were, or would bo, prepared to take upon themselves some larger share of the cost. Another most satisfactory point was the universal recognition of the orderly and splendid conduct of the men who went ashore in various navis of the world. Only that morning he had had a message from the commander of the Atlantic Fleet saying that at Algiers, where 14,000 men went on leave, only 15 broke leave, and not one was "run in” by tho police. MARRIAGE ALLOWANCES. The present position of tho question of marriage allowances for officers was that the Admiralty had put up what they believed to be" a strong case in favour of them being granted. That case had been submitted,to tho Co-ordinating Committee. They had calculated that, roughly, the cost would be about £350,003 if t’’cir proposals were accepted by the Co-ordinating Committee. Much as he sympathised with the appeal for marriage allowances, it was not quite true to say that the thing was as yet un fait accompli, because it is dependent on the decision of the Cabinet, but he was very hopeful of success. Lady Astof Was there a woman on the Co-ordinating Committee? Mr Bridgeman was not at liberty to divulge who was on the committee.