The Navy.

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 9, 1 July 1911, Page 713

The Navy.

In another column we illustrate and describe an entirely new process of launching devised by Sir • William Armstrong and Go. at their Elswick yards, and also a new method of building which shortens materially the time of construction, and lessens the cost appreciably. In some respects the private yards beat the Admiralty yards, as this incident shows. Of the strength of these establishments we get a glimpse at the same time. This vessel represents, for example, the one hundred and thirtyfifth warship built by the firm, at a cost, we may safely assume, at anything between fifty and sixty million sterling in the aggregate. The reverse of the medal is that more than half has been constructed for the foreigner. If our builders are building for the foreigner as good, if not better, warships than the Government builds for itself, and if our mercantile marine is to be manned largely by Lascars and "Dutchies,” what are we coming to? It is pleasanter to reflect on what extended use might be made of these fine private establishments, of which this of the Armstrongs is the greatest and best managed in many respects. • The Admiralty is, however, now making more use of them for its own programme, which is one comfort, and may become a greater. Another is that the ship owner is finding the back of his sailor men up against the "Dutchy” and

the Lascar. We can only trust that the British sailor, who is, according to some authorities (who happily exaggerate) nearly as extinct as the Dodo, ill end by sweeping “Dutchy” as completely from the decks of the mercantile marine of Britain as his fathers swept him from the face of the seas. These are the feelings inspired out in these overseas by the state of things in the Navy and the mercantile marine. We trust that the thoroughly representative character of our Prime Minister who was present in his representative capacity at the launch of the Dreadnought "New Zealand,” will be understood as covering this antiDutchy sentiment. We are all ready to subscribe to the Navy, even to go on building "Dreadnoughts” if it is necessary. But if the British shipowner is to be allowed to spoil the source of the Navy’s man supplies, we shall very soon get tired. These shipowners are not favourites with us for another reason, namely, that they keep up freights against us so that it is sometimes cheaper to buy in America goods a little dearer than the same are in Britain. The British ship owner is getting a trifle too cosmopolitan for the endurance of British folk, and it is high time he were made to feel it, and something more; videlicet the need for mending his very unpatriotic manners.