The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-03-11
FOR BRITISH NAVY
A STATEMENT BY THE FIRST LORD
OF THE ADMIRALTY.

Colossal Sum of .5,55O,OOo Pounds for
Expeditures-Qulet and Ostentatious In
Increase of Pay for seamen--If There be
Peace 1t Will be Peace With Honor but
if War, 1t Must be War Crowned with
Victory.
London, March 10.-In the house of
commons to-day the first lord of the
admiralty, the Hon. George J. Goschen,
in presenting the naval estimates
pointed out that with the outlay on ma
val works the expenditures amounted
to the colossal sum of 25,55O,OOO pounds,
which he explained was even consider
ed inadequate in some quarters. Mr..
Goschen explained that the navy was
in a transitional state, to which many
of the admitted deficiencies were due.
Moreover, he added, the government
was introducing a series of improve
ments. The jubilee displays had been
great, but they had not reached the
ideal standard. Mr.. Goschen dilated
upon the quiet and unostentatious in
crease of the British fleet in China wa
ters by four vessels from other foreign
stations as being an instance of the ma
val preparations.
Mr.. Goschen said he hoped the ad-
miralty would not be too hardly press
ed to communicate it's plans, but he
assured the house that in the dtstribu-
tion of cruisers, for instance, the adj
miralty had considered carefully the
protection of every trade and every
food supply route and he trusted that,
''if times darkened," the admiralty
would be found doing it's duty. Touch
ing upon the increase in the personnel
of the navy, Mr.. Goschen said there
was no lack of recruits for the navy.
In fact, he added, only one in eight
boys was accepted and the supply Of
stokers was also improving. Mr..
Goschen denied that the navy was un-
dermanned, declaring that every vessel
which took part in the jubilee review
was as fully manned as 1t would be In
war time He admitted that there
were a paucity Of officers, but he ex-
planned that that could be easily reme-
died.
The Building Programme.
Touching upon the building pro-
gramme, Mr. Goschen said he would
defer furnishing particulars regarding
the proposed new warships In order to
keep foreigners in the dark concerning
their plans, but he could say that the
battleships and cruisers would be
adapted to the special circumstances
which the past year had revealed in
various parts Of the world. Mr..
Goschen then deplored the recent in
dustrial struggles, and appealed for an
increase of pay for the British seamen
of the merchant marine. He said that
if from false economy or impossible
conditions on either side British sailors
and ships were ousted by foreigners,
then "God help u.s."
War Crowned with Victory.
He concluded: "If peace shall again
reign in our centers Of industry, and if
the nation that calls herself mistress
of the sea- reasserts herself by an in
crease of merchant seamen, then the
nation may look forward in confidence
that If there be peace it will be peace
with honor, but if war, which God for
bid, it must be war crowned with VIC
tory" prolonged cheering) William
Allen, radical, advocated greater eff
forts and moved an amendment that
greater provision be made for manning
the fleet. Rear Admiral Lord Charles
Beresford, conservative, seconding the
amendment. urged larger reserve Of
men and suggested that Great Britain
should buy all the vessels now building
in England for other countries. 1t Is
reported in the lobbies this evening
that the Russian imperial ukase order
ing the disbursement of 90,000,000 rou-
bles as extraordinary expenditure for
the construction of warships viii cause
the government to make considerable
increase in the naval estimates.