The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-21
BRITISH NAVY SYSIEn ROTTEN
REtR tDuIRtL nrRFsroRD stSs
S0 ~ NOT w o. r0wuoNS
sA,p- Z ssisrmsaned and INF es'er
10 ou~ -tsait 90 the Politicians sir
ttsfiss iaiks ami Othsrs s~eena
the Shsrgr. admiralty DefvBes.

srsoai CIAs hsfptffa - rus svN
LoSuoS. jun. ~ Dunng discussion q
th~ annual e-timat-- Tor the navy IN the
Huu-- ~ Commons to-day. Rear Admiral
Lort Chart~~ b-rr-furd. Conservative Mem
t-r - Parliament tor WoolNich. called
attention to the defects which. h- contends,
exist "a tho british Navy lie admitted
ha' ~" Government was doin: all hat u
~puld. but tho Nlol" svs'sm a he d-c.ard
rr't"u. livery inCrea-c ~ ia. 'l'S't and
every improvement effected wa- the rr-ul:
Of out~idr'a agitation. lie asserted that the
cugiu"-tuom department was thousands of
mon short 81 it, proper complement. In
efficiency In this and other r--Tsct- was du"
To- nobody at the Admiralty. The ~
-uon-ihility lay With politicians. who ignored
expert opinion
Lord ChaTlr- complained that the Msdi-
terrlnsan t,st wa- -til weak. although It
was stronger than last year. II now COM
prisd thirteen battLcships, as against ten
In iSoi. and Of th.ss six wer vessels Of
mo,iem typo. AL thr thirteen were ready
to go out and fight. whiln last year there
~ere never more than eight ready 10 take
the "a against an enemy. n Torpedo
boat destroyer SECTION Of tho feet Vas
boubf' ~ rtftilkNh lNhaN ~ Nhs W. tE'is li
the department Of stores was 10 Icr cent
bitter.
This was something toward improve
m.fs, for when he was -ecoud in command
Of the Mediterranean fee, he found a diff
Guilty even In getting coal. II was a re-
markablc thing that officers Of the British
Army aad Navy had habitually To threaten
to rsign IN order TO get things put right
His experience IN the navy, which extended
over forty-three years had taught him that
the Cominander-in-Chief Of a fleet spent
more than half has time writing home for
material essential TO tie efficiency % his
squadron.
IN regard 70 reserves thcv had only ~. 90
mon instead 81 N" N ,orN that thev ne~iei
Their armament also was Unsatisfactory
Both the French ard United States nsvi"s
had better guns than the British.
Lord Charles further Said hat what he
wanted wac a thinking department NJ the
Admiralty. There hould be a general
-,ar To mai" on the requirements Of the
caSc and 20 pr"sant Il 10 the political and
financial depart m.n'. Ito wanted n busi-
ness boari ~ the Admiralty separate from
that on which the hghting efficiency Of the
feet depended They rc.SIe1 a reality. not
4 farce Control by the Treasury was fatal
20 efficiency.
Tho great danger 20 the STATE In having
vcak forc,'- had ts."n glaringly illustrated
in regard to ~" army hy the campaign In
South africa He urged strongly that the
question of REORGANIZATION - the navy
needed inmrilat" consideration
Sir Charles Dixie. member % PArlia-
mcnt for the Forest - Dean division. who
has studied and written upon the question
Of imperial defence. followed ia the debat"
and argued tina: "a. expert element should
have fuller powers
Mr. william Allan. Member FOR Gates
bead. We h.ueu ~ a marine "nglnser,
declared that The great f.Ct now assembling
At Sp'hc1d for the cremation naval pa.
rtdc was short Of men, and would, Ia fact,
H. manned by skeleton crews lie de-
handed a thorough reorganization of the
Admiralty.
Mr. II q. Arnold Forster, Parliamentary
Secretary 10 tho admiralty. defended his
DEPARTMENT from the charge that had hs-'n
made. lie denied that extra coal hal
t.ru ~cn, 20 tla Mediterranean r'-'t m
consequence q Lord Charles Beresipri'-
threat 20 resign hts command in the fleet
Tho increase IN the cod stores was part Il
the ordinary routine policy 81 the Admiralty
Il Wa AN entire deluslou 10 suprp-c that
outside agitation had Cauaed the strength.
min 81 the Mediterranean feet Tn"
navy was no doubt capable OF improve.
meut. but he believed that IL wac now
y,,r. .slslart tlap 10 Lad eyer leen lefors