THE COLONIST. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1912. BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13379, 30 March 1912, Page 4

THE COLONIST. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1912. BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

Tni? publication of the Gorman Dcfoacc, Bills is a serious disappointment Ac> thoso who trusted that tho ofl:octs of Vr Winston Churchill's explicit statement of-British naval policy,the other day, and the way ho indicated of arriving at, an understanding in tho direction of limiting armaments would bo seen in the forthcoming Gorman estimates. Although tho First Lord's speech was "- coivod with mingled feelings in Germany, and tho Chauvinist Press was at no pains to conceal its resentment at particular rnforonco being made to t.'ib raest formidable of Britain's Htival rivals, the great increase of expenditure provided for1 by tho Navy Bill is scarcely attributable .to .his utterances. In liis spoech at tho opening of tho RflichI stag the Kaiser mado a significant ro- , ference to the Defence Bills to bo initroduced. "The progress of our work of peace at homo and across:tho seas;" ho said "depends iipon the Empire being powerful enough at all times to defend and stand up for its national honour, its possessions and its justified interests in tho world. Therefore, it is my constant duty and caro to maintain and strengthen by land and sea tho defences of tho German peoplo which, has no lack o"f young men capable of bearing arms. Measures which pursue this aim aro in preparation, and will be submitted to you, together with tho proposals for covering tho additional outlay. If-you help to fulfil this important task you will render tho Fatherland a great service." Tho Kaiser went on to refer to Germany's willingness to sottlo international disputes amicably wherever that was consistent with the dignity and interests of Germany, as fresh proofs had been given by the conclii; sion of ihe agreements with France. "In addition to the cultivation of our alliances with tho Auatro-Hungarian monarchy and tho Kingdom of Italy," ho added, "my policy remains directed to tho ■maintenance of friendly relations to all ♦the Powers on the basis of .mutual respect and goodwill." The Kaiser's spoech clearly foreshadowed considerable increases upon tho - construction provided for by the 1911-12 Navy* Law, tho estimates .of which amounted to £22,031,788, whilst for

tlio previous year the. total was £21,----235,090. On October 31st last Germany had 35 battleships in commission, whilst six wore bciog built and throo others were projected. Under the Bills j introduced in tho'ltoichstag last week, ; thero will bo laid down during the next' six years thrco additional battle-cruis-ers in alternate years, commencing in 1013, in addition to tho twelve ships of tho Dreadnought typo, twolvo protected cruisers, and sovonty-two destroyers, provided for under tho present Navy Law, and a larger number of submarines than ever beforo. The- new Bill also makes provision for constituting a new battlo squadron of tlie High Sea Fleet, (the Third), with tho necessary allied cruisers and torpedo craft, thus adding approximately one-third to the number of vessels now in sea-going commission. Steps will simultaneously be taken to authoriso the raising, year by year, of sufficient officers and men for this new division of tlio High Sea Fleet, increasing tho number of officers and imon from 60,805 to about 80,003. In his Glasgow speech somo timo ago Mr Churchill laid particular stress upon tho purely defensive purposes of the British Navy, and the .ihsonco of aggressive motives towards Germany in maintaining a sufficient- margin of safety in now construction. ]lo said:

It is our duty to affirm that the purposes of British naval power aro essentially defensive. AVo have no thoughts oi' aggression, and wd attribute no such thought to other great Powers. There is, however, this difference between British naval power and tho naval power of tho groat and friendly Empire—and I trust it may long remain the groat and friendly Power:—of Germany. Tho British Navy is to us a necessity, and, from somo points of viow, tho Germany rmvy is to them more in the nature of a luxury. It is existence, to us, not to them. Wo cannot menace the poaeo of a single Continental hamlet; but tho whole fortunes of our race and Empire would perish and be swept utterly away if our naval supremacy wore to he impaired. It is tho British Navy which makes Great Britain a'groat Power. But Germany was a great Power, respected and honoured all over the world, beforo sho had «i single'ship. Thoso facts ought clearly to be stated, because there is a disposition in so;me quarters to'suppose that Groat Britain and' Germany are on terms of equality ko far as naval risks aro concerned. Such a supposition is utterly untrue, v

The British Estimates made it clear that any increase" of Germany's programme would bo promptly met on a higher ratio, while a reduction would bo followed' by a corresponding reduction by Britain. It does not seem, however, that we aro yet approaching tho end of what the First Lord^ of the Admiralty described as "tho strange spectacle of tho world devoting its wealth, manhood, and science to producing gigantic military machinery, which is obsolete as soon as created, draining tho coffers and stinting tho needs of the people." If tho present pace is maintained, however, there is every likelihood of the realisation of what ho said was tho most hopeful interpretation of tho phenomenon, namely, that tho rivalries will become tho substitutes for the actual war of the earlier astcs.