THE BRITISH NAVY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12014, 17 March 1920, Page 5

THE BRITISH NAVY.

CAPITAL SHIPS STILL SUPREME, United Press Association— By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. " London, March 15 An explanatory memorandum to the Navy Estimates issued by the Hon. Walter Long shows that after deducting nineteen millions for nonrecurrent war liabilities, and forty millions for , recurrent expenditure due to war conditions, such as increases in prices wages; and pensions there remains a normal expenditure on the basis of "pre-War rates and prices, totalling millions in 1915-16, The memorandum says; In view of the efforts made during the war, it is possible temporarily to suspend production and reduce the fleet to the minimum required both in/personnel and material. The memorandum contends that, so far from the capital ship being doomed, either on account of submarines or aircraft, the war had shown that the battle squadron must still remain the chief unit of the fleet, though advances in science would inevitably necessitate changes in typo. Thus it was even possible that the present battleship may change to a semi-submarine type, or even a flying type, but immediate abandonment of the capital ship in favour of a visionary scheme of aircraft or submarines would, leave the British nation destitute of sea power and without means of progressive training.