A Fool's Paradise.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11553, 6 September 1900, Page 1

A Fool's Paradise.

(By Arnold White, in the Navy League Journal.

111 1 was recently seated on the edge of thr i platform of one of the big guns at tie top of Gibraltar Rock. There is bo harm in mentioning the fact, as the gui. in question is on the sky-line and can be seen from afar. My companions had left me alone, and I had nothing to do but to look about me and think. Belon lay the Mediterranean fleet split in half by the new mole. The Braemar Castle, en route to the Cape, was transhipping German shell from the _Stamfordham cleared from Trieste for Shanghai with a bogus cargo of "cheeses," "hams," and "butter," but diverted to Gibraltar so as to deceive the British public into the notion that England makes its own ammunition. Foreigners are not deceived. In Algeciras Bay a "catcher" was speeding like a cycle round a racetrack, so rapidly that her wake formed a white circle. Across the Straits, Apes' Hill, and the mountainous hinterland that ends in Table Mountain, trembled in the sunshine. Eastwards the Mediter- I ranean was dotted with marine omnibuses plying under British colours. On the Spanish side the low foot hills of the Sierra, with the Queen of Spain's Chair, revealed the vulnerable approach to Gibraltar. In the place where I sat, with the ghastly farce being enacted 1500 ft below , only one idea was thinkable :

" ARE WE READY AT SEA ?"

I possess no kuowledge whatever of naval affairs, but understand simple arimetic as well as the most convinced believer in our irresponsible Cabinet system. If the answer to the question "Are we ready at sea?" requires only arithmetic and common sense, there is no escape from the logical demonstration of the fact that we are not ready. First, our fleets are not strong enough" to crush, without question, the naval forces that would be brought against them by France and her ally ; and, secondly, certain preparations for naval war are as behindhand to-day as were our land forces last October. Demo 3is dense. Parliament dreams, or eats strawberries and cream with pretty ladies on the Terrace, while £41,807,400 is voted in four hours and forty minutes in an empty House. The public lives in a fool's paradise. Having ears to hear they hear not; having eyes they see not. Three admirals laid down the proportion of strength in battleships required by Britain to insure victory against two naval Powers. We do not possess that strength in battleships, although private yards have been allowed to build and despatch, during the last ten years, numerous warships for foreigners. The numbers of our cruisers bear no relation to the extent of our trade; while not a single torpedo-catcher is included in the Admiralty programme for the current year, although " catchers " are to our admirals to-day what frigates were to Nelson. Steam coal is sold to France and Russia. Alexandra is unfortified against land attack. Turkey has been alienated and Spanish pride wounded by brilliant sarcasms of a great statesman. The unfriendly neutrality of both in war time is secured by our Foreign Office. The consequence of this failure of Parliamentary landsmen either to provide onr brave admirals and captains with sufficient ships and auxiliary material for the work they may have to do, or even to back the fleet with good diplomacy, is thkt a portion of our navy, at least, when war breaks out, will be set to a task that is of the nature of a forlorn hope. Since our battleships are too few, cruisers and catchers will be compelled to do their work. The enemy's battleships will be attacked by British heroes in small vessels. The Belleisle has told us what that means. lam certain that no British voter or taxpayer intended anything of tho kind. Still, ihe fact remains. If England is compelled to fight France and Russia, British pluck and thinly armoured or small vessels will be substituted for battleships that Parliament has voted, for wkich the country has paid, but which remain unbuilt because of the " system " which prevents responsibility being driven home to a man. Parliament is either paralysed or has abdicated power. If not, it is impossible that it could acquiesce in the fact that

THERE IS NO CHANNEL FEET.

What is erroneously called the Channel fleet is really a training squadron that forms, in time of war, the second division of the Mediterranean fleet. These islands require a real Channel fleet with no duty other than the protection of our shores. "We have no such fleet. We ought to have. The battleships and cruisers required do not exist. Our fleets require floating machine and repairing shops, swift colliers with hatches cut to fit battleships and cruisers of one class, hospital ships, refrigerating vessels, store, restaurant, water condensing and laundry ships. These things should be read y now. They are not ready. Food for the sailor in war should be better than in peace. What has been done to replace ihe bumboat peace arrangements? Nothing. When Nelson was struck he was pacing up and Jown the "Victory's deck with his flag-captain. When he died a boat was sent to Collingwood to inform him. Collingwood Avas eating an apple on the quarter deck. In the next naval war the admiral did not pace the deck or eat apples under fire. If he is killed the fact will probably bo unknown to the fleet until the action is over. The strain on tho admiral if he is in the conning tower (with the signalman outside) will be inconceivable. If he is not there — aud there is no room — where is he to be ? We require spare admirals with dormant commissions, sparo captains to come on duty at night or when" required, and tho whole question of tho nerve-strain on officers in a fighting fleet thought out and prepared for. The country is in a fool s paradise. We aro NOT SAFE lIKCAUSE WE ARE NOT READY, and we are not ready because our rulers do not take the work of government seriously. The Premier has never made a voyage in a man-of-war. How many Cabinet Ministers know the names of the first twenty captaius of the fleet or have met them in the flesh ? The First Lord of tho Admiralty is a septuagenarian with fixed ideas. Treasury action breaks the hearts of our best organisers. The position is unsafe. Scare is futile. Unless business men insist that our fleets are prepared for war they must not bo surprised at the repetition at sea of the early days of tho Boer war. But there will be no time for a maritime Roberts to redress tho mistakes of a naval Lansdowuo. Wo aro in a fool's paradise.