GERMANY AS A NAWAL POWER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12282, 15 June 1903, Page 2

GERMANY AS A NAWAL POWER.

SUPERIOEaTY OF HEIR BATTLESHffPS. STATEATONT BY AM3i3JIIC<AN ADMIRjAjL. "TShe, rise of Oermjany as a naval arid mlaritinie power djuring the last thirty years has ajunprised tlie w;oiL'ld. J believe t&at her battloislhips for their tonnage are the best afloat/ said, Rear-Axlmjral 'G>earge Mifelville, chief of the Eoigiinecwtng Bwreahi o£,'tfce Uniteki, States' Napry, in a paper, reaH. by him on May 2nH .before the!Eiigindere' Club, Philaclelpihia. Eeai'-Aidmjfal Melville took for his subject "The Military Importance of^ NaVal Engineering Ejxperiments," d(uring which, he referred to the scope an,d purpose of the naval engineering la. j botatory .which " is to be established j in Antnapplis. . . | ■In di^ussing the t^hat .Germain battleships for th«ir tonnage are the best* afloat, he said it was "because -they pb&sesfsefd a screw inatallation of machinery, thlus giving the motive power of larger battleships' economical, stnuctural, and tactical aidva,ntag6fc &v&t similar higlL-powerey vessels of rival nations. "Strangest of all," he co'ntin^efcl, " this excellence in the consfcr'uetioni of warships «.s! wetf as in the b^iMing ',of vessels for me ocean-going trajde, (iß.niot( iB.niot the resSult of a progressive series of failures, either in desigto, oon~ gtru'e'tioto, or operation: ' . "The sluecess of Geactolany can only be .accounted ; for by recognising the faci that reflection, arid re--search anfust halve been e^penUed in the preparation of plans in the building Up anid the organisation of the shipyards and in laying ou% anß carrying on the work of cotositoiuction.' iThe rear-adinirai referreU to Wio naval experimental woelc of the Dinitod States and England as being of a s)pora'dio character. "It requires 1 government investig'atiota! to solve im>portant problems relating to % the 1 powering of ships," he addeid. He said tihat Germany h ; act probably sipent more mloney in experimental \v~orlc before the ship was laid down.