The National Building Capacity.

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

The National Building Capacity.

Under this head the British Foreign Secretary recently said very reassuring things in the House of Commons, to the effect that the Government had made enquiries and discovered that the capacity of the yards private and public -was such as to be able easily to keep ahead of the rest of the world : quite equal at all events to the maintenance of any Two or Double One Standard of Power. The only uncertainty found, referred to the mountings of cannon, and steps had been taken to equalise matters in that direction. Since that statement was made the head of the firm of Sir William Armstrong & Co., has notified publicly that the firm is able

with a little alteration, in the nature chiefly of development, place itself in a position to turn out four Dreadnoughts every year. This, of course, is not the only firm that can do shipbuilding work on a great scale in the United Kingdom. The others are numerous and their capacity for good work is of the very best in the world as well as the most rapid. The trouble just now is that they are building ships (war and commercial) for other nations a great deal too fast for the comfort of the subjects of His Majesty the King. No doubt this building for the foreigner will be discussed as it ought to be and if possible prevented at least during the times of tension. At any rate it is pleasant to know that the British yards are to be relied upon for anything they can be called upon to undertake by a country in a hurry to defend itself. We give to-day some descriptions and illustrations of the works of the Armstrong Company, together with a memoir of the celebrated founder.