SUPREMACY OF THE SEA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2860, 6 January 1909, Page 12

SUPREMACY OF THE SEA.

STRIKING OPINIONS OF A FRENCH NAVAL EXPERT. An English translation has been published, with an introduction by Mr Fred. T. Jane, of an interesting pamphlet by M. A. M. Laubenf on the coming naval straggles, which" he regards as inevitable between England and Germany and between America and Japan. M. Laubeuf speaks as one having authority. He was chief engineer of the French navy, and he belongs to the corpa of naval constructors. He has been largely responsible for the great progress of the French submarine, and he is, -unlike most of his countrymen nowadays, a distinct Anglophobe. He is naturally much concerned with the falling away of his country in the race for naval supremacy. He says : — "In the seventeenth century France fought often with advantage against England. In the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries she retained her rank of second navy in the world. "At the beginning of the twentieth century she fell to the fourth rank, and is threatened to be sent down, to the fifth rank by Japan within a few years. " Let us only hope that she will merely be present as a simple spectator of the gigantic conflicts now in course of preparation. She will natux'ally benefit by the depleted strength of the belligerents, and will then resume a relatively better position." | STANDING ALONE. M. Laubeuf's anticipation of the attitude of France in the event of a war between Germany and Great Britain is particularly interesting, and points the necessity of our depending on ourselves and not trusting to the friendship of others. It is pointed out that it is only in the present century that our supremacy at sea has really been challenged. "The great development of the young navies, until then of secondary importance — the United States, Germany, Japan — has altered the aspect of the position. " England can no longer rule over all the eeas, and here are a number of facte to prove this :* — " It recalled in 1905 the five armoured ships which were stationed in the Chinese seas, thus abandoning the Pacific to the Japanese and the Americans. "It has been recalled, in 1906, to the English waters, several armoured ships from Malta, and from Gibraltar. It hae constituted a formidable reorganised Home fleet. \ " This is the principal naval force of the United Kingdom. It is no longer an instrument of domination over the seas, but a t-ooj of defence of the metropolis. . . . " England is collecting its forces to retain its silver belt. But let us make no mistake ; it looks very much like tlje crouching of a wild animal before it stretches out when springing on its prey." Incidentally, it may be noted that M. , Laubeuf considers that battleships become ! out of date in 15 years and armoured cruiserß in 12 years. | The following is particularly interesting :— I " The creation of the Dreadnought type, J of which England boasted so much, will become a disadvantage instead of an ad1 vantage. It is clear that the type of a ship totally different from the preceding j ones produces the indibputable effect of j putting older boats out of date. Now, as England possesses a great many more 15,000-tpn armoured ships than any other Ppwer, the, appearance of the Dreadnought renders old, with one stroke, a large proportion of its fleet. "As a general rule, England never scores; on the contrary, it loses, ojj the appearance of | pew type oi battleship. CfJfEAT SHIPS. Bui Respite this fask and despite, tog, th,e fagt that 6, 20,000-jton. ship can be a^ stroyed by $. submarine (& gasify fa a fbtp of 10,000 ts»s, M. I/aupeol advosa.t^£ yie^ buildiiig qi Vessels oj SStOOQ tons, 9ijnmln.s th& the, h&tita ibftt Iftflt ftarjs tQ pkog^ euch fi §hjb |n it* yjtf de will at o§s| be "14 acly^fice Q f jfg rjya).

' The French engineer has no doubt ! whatever as to Germany's intention. 1 "Finally, considering that the German armoured ships are satisfied with a radius 1 for action very much more limited than that of the English or French armoured ships (5500 miles, instead of 8000), I come to the conclusion that the German navy looks forward to a contest restricted to the European seas, that is to say, a contest with England. . . . " As for me, the key of the future German tactics is settled by the credits to be used for submarines :' Five million marks in 1907, seven millions in 1908, 10 millions in 1909, 15 millions e«ery year in and after the year 1910. " Germany is building, moreover, not only simple submarines (boats whose part is reduced to the near defence of its ports and shores, in consequence of their short nautical capacities), but also submersible boats, which can take the offensive in the seas of small extent, such as the North Sea or the Baltic. . . . " The only German submarine on duty, the U, is of 240 tons. The next ones will no doubt be of 350 to 400 tons; with the credits provided, the German navy may have 60 ready for action in 1915. Their task will certainly be that of leaving the German ports, immediately after the declaration of war, and of proceeding to the attack of the enemy's armoured ships on the English coast. A few successful torpedo strokes will produce an equilibrium, and the German nrnjoured ships may then come forward to dispute with the English squadron the mastery, of the sea, and try to open the road for landing in England. "These are the tactics which I recommended to France on the morrow of the Fashoda incident. . . . " I am therefore led to believe that Germany is preparing with the method which characterises it, a landing in England. It will employ for this purpose the submersible boat which I created in 1897, with a very clear idea of utilising it by France, with a similar object in view." THE COUNTER ATTACK. M. Laubeuf believes that Great Britain will not wait for Germany, but will herfelf strike when Germany least expects the blow. ' ' Perfidious Albion once again. ' ' Within a few years only the bad administration of our fleet and the numerous disasters France has met with in time* of peace have reduced, with extraordinary rapidity, our unfortunate navy to a condition of extreme weakness. ' ' England took us as her headway, as it had done with the Dutch at the end of the seventeenth century. It turns to-day on the German navy, which, after the succes- < sive ruin of the Spanish, the Dutch, and the French navies, becomes the factor round which a coalition may accumulate against it. " Once the German navy ie crushed and weakened for a long time, it will be th« turn of the conqueror of the conflict in the Pacific. " The United States, or else Japan, haviujt hardly had time to take breath after a desperate fight, will have England rising against them. English supremacy over all th« seas would thus be secured for 50 years. " Will these fortunate tactics, which have lasted for so many centuries, continue to last jor ever?" It would eeem, indeed, that M. Laubeuf, despite him&elf, believes in our destiny more than we believe in it.

Professor James H. Breasted, of the University of Chicago, dpscribod in. a lecture there a recent Iy.-diseov.ered tablet tyhjcb, L.* afl-id. proved conclusively that the builder of the first pyramid voyaged to iifeEa-non and imported eedarwood for use in t^e internal construotion of the mausotewra. WemngtQn eickpockete have bVen very busy ourliig wje tjolKiays, A genilemaji'g pockets frers gone throuplr at Thorndon station recently. fa.n4 €he light-fingered gen_try !bav6 bi*Dr -tfeiry btjsy 6n the -wharveti at tjj| 4tt>artUrd &&<$ arrival o; paajsjig^r