Great Britain and Germany.

Progress, Volume IV, Issue 7, 1 May 1909, Page 230

Great Britain and Germany.

The Cause of British Alarm. This is easily stated. In the ten years 1889-98 the German Government spent on the German fleet an aggregate of €45,803,666, an average annual expenditure of £4,580.366. In the next decade. 1899-1908, the expenditure aggregate reached £108,650,000, with an average expenditure of £10.865,000. Since the year 1900 three Naval Acts have been passed by the Reichsrath. and the last of them specifies that the battle ships of the programme must be of the Dreadnought or

Indomitable order: and the total material of the fleet is fixed for the year 1920 as the date to be worked up to — by annual proportionate constructions, at 38 battle ships, fourteen large cruisers, thirty-eight small cruisers and a large number of torpedo craft. B\ the last Act also the life of the ships was decreased from twentyfive to twenty ypars. The meaning of this provision, as explained by Count Reventlow whose name has figured rather prominently of late in connection with these matters, and who moreover, is one of the chief organisers of the German fleet, is that whenever a ship reaches the age of twenty years a new one is immediately laid down to be built as soon as possible to replace it. The fleet then of Germany is limited by law to the above number and has to be kept up to it with modern ships until such time as the law may be changed. But in England those who are confronted with this explanation as to the limit point to the fact that this limitation is only one of three, and they declare that it is quite possible there may be a fourth Act. a fifth, and as many more Acts as may be required by an ambitious monarch backed by a fanatically nationalist people. It is useless to point out that at present the standard of the British navy is more than two power, in spite of the lessened expenditure of late years as shown in the tables we publish above. It is interesting to note also here the position exactly as it is with regard to the two strongest of the European navies, those of France and Germany. The figures are taken from one of Mr. Archibald Hurd's publications : —

The standard is all that could be desired. But the present quality does not count, since the building of the Dreadnoughts, and that is the crux of the situation. The British view is that the Germans are '"catching up"' and intend to come more than level.

Over 16,000 tons (Indomitable) 14,000 „ and over 12,000 „ „ Under 12,000 , 3 3 16 16 0 0 5 15 0 0 0 8 38 20 8

Armoured Cruisers.

Displacement. Over 16,000 tons 14,000 „ and ovei 13,000 , 12,000 „ 11,000 , 10,000 , Under 10,000 , I Britain France Germany 11 0 0 30 6 0 0 0 5 7 2 5 4 8 5 7 5 5 0 0 4 59 21 24

Battleships.