NAVAL ESTIMATES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 62, 13 March 1903, Page 2

NAVAL ESTIMATES.

A SOUTH ATLANTIC BQUAORON. PEE PKBBB ASSOCIATION. London, Ma-ch 10. The nr.val estimates provide for an expenditure of £34,457,000. Tue construction of ne r boats will absirb £10,137,000. The building programme includes three battle-hip*, four first-cliss cruiasrp, fcur sou a, fifteen torpedo boit des roye s, and t«n submarined, most of which will be built by contract. I r . is propifl'd to increase the parsjnnel by 4600 men. Tnere aie now under cons'rue'ijn eleven batießhips anl nineteen armoured c uitiers, of which |ix battleships and eleven cruise's will be oomph ted by March nt-x I '.

It Is intend d to train all seamen in m.e'iaiiiol knowhdge and stoking, and five mgdals and a bonus for gun aery. It is ulso m'ended to strengthen the Naval lalel'igenoe D-parment. The pro at the Ute Oo'onul Uotjference in London embody the Admiralty's proposals as regards Australia.

Besides the new Home sqmdron, it 'mn'ended to establish a Sou h AtUntic equadron with bises at Gibraltar and ' Siarra Lmqp, covering the westciwt ''of Af<icvi and the south-eas' coast of j America. 1 j The l imes says that the naval proi prmaU ar« wise, courageous, and satigfactoi y. Received 13, 1 3 a.m. London, Mirch 12. Mr Gun 's amendment was defeated . by 251 to 154. j The bulk of the Na' ionalists abstained from vo ing. Neirly 30 Unioaists voted wi h the minority. ' Mr B;0 trick said that a sudden r. duc:ion of 27,000 men would produoe cbios in the mili ary system, j Sir Kdward Grty stated that in the ( of .i struggle on the Indian froni'i r, 40,000 men stationed in B>u h Af ica would be more valuable thin 1120,000 in England. Besides, 8 >u'h j Afii'ia was a better and cheaper training pround, J Mr Balfour earnestly appealed to .m'm'iers no' to upset the osreful'y 'elabora'ed fcheoH already sacc'ioiod jby Parliament, and said it would be wrong to make reductions at a time 1 when (he reserves were dangerous'y low.