THE BRITISH NAVY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10963, 4 May 1907, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE BRITISH NAVY.

TWO-POWER STANDARD TO BE

MAINTAINED.

We have no intention whatever of weakening our naval power, said Lord Tweedmouth at a dinner given by the Russell and Eighty Clubs m London last mouth. We are going to rest ..in tho future, as m the past, on a two-Power standard. It must be. It is difficult enough to decide what is a two-Power standard, and I say that outside the Admiralty itself that cannot be decided or examined satisfactorily. It is not a mere question of so many ships of such and such tonnage. Many other things have to be considered — the age of the Bhip, tbe armament of the, ship, the armor that is ou the ship;' and it is only by very careful examination aud very careful consideration of the Relative value of the ships of the Great Pf^ers that a certain decision can be arrived at. I say that that decision cannot be arrived at by the ordinary public,* it can only be arrived at by the expert. You must trust your Admiralty or else you have got to get rid of them, one or the other. We at the Admiralty are most anxious to save money; we are most anxious, so far aa we can, not only to save money ourselves, but to save the money of other nations. .We- believe the burden of these a.maments is hard to bear, and ought to be reduced. But m my view whatever tho cost tho British pavy must bo kept sufficient for tbe purpose for which it is required.