The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-03-10
NAVY ESTIMATES
OF GREAT BRITAIN
Programme for New Ships Has Been
Modified.
CZAR'S DISARMAMENT PLAN
Has Caused All the Powers to Be
More SparinS In
EXPENDITURES FOR WAR PURPOSES
Goschen Declares That No Idea of Ag-
gressive Action Has Entered the
Mind of the British Cabinet.
England's Preparedness.

London, March 9.-In introducing the ma
Wy estimates In the house of commons to-
day, the first lord of the admiralty, Right
Hon. George j. Goschen, said never had es-
Inmates been submitted under more unique
circumstances. Ahead was the conference
for International disarmament while behind
were the incidents of last November, and
while comparison of the naval strength
of the various countries was in everybody's s
mouth, the most striking confidence was
shown in British preparedness to meet all
emergencies.
The continental powers, he further said,
were disturbed by the allegation that Great
Britain was preparing with a particular
purpose for aggressive action, but the min
lister asserted the idea never entered the
mind of the government. He then proceed
ed to detail the naval program.
Mr.. Goschen said her majestys govern
ment proposed to make Wei-Hai-Wei (the
war port on the northern coast of the Shan
Tung pennsula) a secondary naval base
pointing out that it would be a most val
liable anchorage and of the greatest i'm
portance in any operations in Chinese wa
ters, and adding that 1t was proposed to
expend 100000 pounds on Wei-Hai-Wei dur
ing the present year and 100000 pounds
next year.
chip Building Programme
Referring to shipbuildng, he said the
coming program had been framed after
consideration of the programs of the other
powers. A study of these programs, he
pointed out was not reassuring. The United
States, Russia, France, Japan, Italy and
Germany had under construction 6S5, 900 tons
of warships, 225, 900 tons moro than was
contemplated in the present estimates.
This had forced the government to draw
up new program. Excluding last years
supplemental program, it provided for two
lronclads, two armored cruisers and three
smaller cruisers of a specially high speed
The money required, therefore, for the
coming financial year was $780, 900 pounds
and the total on the shipbuildng vote, in
cluding liabilities for last years or. gtnal
ana supplementary programs, would be H. =
$4,000 pounds, an increase of over 1000 600
pounds. The total estimates were 26, ,594 900
pounds.
Feelings of a Determined Nation
Mr.. Goschen then announced In behalf of
her majesty's government that If the other
great naval powers were prepared to di-
minish their programs, Great Britain was
prepared to modify hers. But If the czar's
hopes were not realized, the program would
have to stand, and he (Mr. Goschen) ex-
pressed the hope that those who were pro-
posing to attack the countrys expenditure
would not attempt to dlssuade the people
from bearing the taxation necessary to car
ry on the duties of the empire
In conclusion, the first lord of the admi-
rally said the estimates were ''simply the
embodiment of the feelings of peace-lov-
ing, determined nation" (Cheers)
Mr.. Goschen emphasized the purely de-
fensive objects of the naval increase. but
sad In view of the construction by her RI
walls of fast cruisers with the avowed pur-
pose of preying upon British commerce and
Great Britain's food supply in the event Of
war, England was forced to build five new
cruisers particularly swift in order to cir
cumvent these schemes He also said that
the four armored cruisers now being built
under the original program would be the
most powerful ships in the world.