THE BRITISH NAVY

Otago Witness, Issue 3100, 13 August 1913, Page 24

THE BRITISH NAVY

GOVERNME XT’S POLIO Y' 1) ISCUSSED. CRITICISM BY LORD SELBORNE. LONDON, August 5. In the House of Lords Lord Selborne drew attention to the Government’s shipbuilding proposals. Quoting from Mr Asquith’s and Mr Churchill’s speeches he said that these were brave words, but bore as much resemblance to Germany's unswerving policy as a roll of putty to a bar of steel. The year 1915 would be the critical year. If the 60 per cent, margin in Home waters were maintained the Malaya and New Zealand would iwi the only capital ships in the Mediterranean and the Australia the only super-dreadnought in the rest of the Empire. in substituting dominion ships the Government had failed to do its duty to the oversea dominions. At the present moment the navy was short by a whole squadron of modern capital ships. The Lord Chancellor replied that the position was not unsatisfactory. The French fleet in the Mediterranean was almost equal to the Italian and Austrian combined. August 6. Taking Germany’s unswerving naval poliev. Lord Selborne deduced that we must have an ample margin of strength, and be instantly ready with steady and systematic development, which must be untiringly pursued for a number of years. The Government was not building up to a 60 per cent, standard. It had promised an unswerving policy, and had swerved on the first occasion. It had said that the dominions’ ships would be extras, and then substituted dominion ships for United Kingdom ships. They would never consent to their Mediterranean position being dependent on France in peace or war. The Lord Chancellor said it would he neither reasonable nor wise to undertake to keep up the Mediterranean fleet equal to the Australasian fleets. The burden

would be enormous, and there would be no justification for it. With the present cordial relations with France their Mediterranean position was not unsatisfactory.