New-York tribune., 1909-03-31
ONE-POWER STANDARD
British NaraI Pohcy-1 DUcI ,cith
Germany.
Germany.

abandoned by the naval narunetS- Inc most
remarkable feature Of the debate on the Ad-
mralty estimates is the frankness with
which the government has declared that it Is
building Dreadnoughts against single power
Germany Mr.. McKenna. Mr.. Baifour. the Prime
Minister and other debaters taking part in what
seemed like a council Of war dispensed with alb
stra ctions and hypothetical calculations and de
scribed Germany as competing 80 effectively
with England in armaments that supremacy can
be maintained only by rapidly accelerated con
struction during the next three years The vital
fact. which has enabled the Liberal government
to disarm the Radical economists. Is the enOr-
nous development OF German resources foT
building and arming batteships OF the most for
midable type The work can now be done as
quickly in Germany in England. instead OF
requiring additional six or twelve months
and since slips have been provided in the Baltic
shipyards for the construction Of the largest
Dreadnoughts. It can be conducted on as large
scale IN an emergency. The pace has been set
in Berlin. and the Liberal government here is
forced to keep up with it, even If social reforms
have to be deferred and the burdens of taxation
enormously increased.
The estimates quoted by the opposing front
benches disclosed the startling results Of Ger
man competition. Mr.. Balfour assumed that by
1912 Germany would have twenty-One OF even
more Dreadnoughts against twenty under the
British flag. Mr. Asquith gave the probable hg-
ures as seventeen against twenty under existing
arrangements and cOntended that England
would have time to provide for substantial ad-
vance. if there were to be a further acceleration
Of the German battIeship programme Even
the more favorable statement left so narrow
margin that It was idle 10 talk about the two
nation standard with 10 per cent added. 1t vas
evident to all who heard the opening speeches
Of the debate that England would have to wake
up" in order to maintain her asCendenCy In sea
power over Germany. Mr.. McKenna explained
in a few ringing sentences what had happened
The Germans now have fourteen slips for carry
ing the largest Dreadnoughts. and are construct
ing three more whereas two years ago they did
not have one. with the possible exception Of one
or two in private yards Not only are there ia
cfties for laying down the huls. but there IL
also the plant for turning out armor and guns.
since the Krupps and other German firms can
provide the equipment for eight battleships in
single year II IL this vast increase in Ger
many's productive power for the rapid con-
struction Of navy that has made q profound
impression in England. The government does
not appear to have discovered what was going
on across the North Sea until a few months ago
The revelation that the Germans can build bat
tIeships and make the armor plates and guns
for them as rapidly the English themselves
has the effect Of a startling surprise.
The swollen estimates safe enough from
Radical assault when the evidence Of deadly
competition is overwhelming. There will be four
new Dreadnoughts laid down this year. and the
Admiralty will be in readiness 10 undertake the
construction OF as many more early next year
The competition will be particularly destructive
to the British navy. since it rules out sooner or
ito a b9ftlrShIUG
an earlier type than the Dreadnought Fewer
vessels viii he reIegated to the scrap heap in
Germany than in England. and when superiority
is measured in Dreadnoughts alone the two
navies are brought at once into q relation Or
equality. Not only is the sng1e-nation standard
established with startling suddenness, but the
ma ioritv Of modern navies are condemned as
obsolete although millions have been expended
upon them Sea power will he measured ny the
most formidable type of fighting batteship al
though it has never been under fire and its de-
fensive powers are virtually unknown. The sur
,fraI of the fttest is the fundamental Law OF
naval supremacy The Dreadnought. accepted as
the standard Of efficiency by the principal mari
time nations. destroys without an engagement OF
anv kind au the old fashioned fleets afoat
After this nomeutous debate naval policy will
he conducted on the assumption that war be
tween England and Germany is likely 10 occur
in the near future and must be constantly Kept
IN mind by strategists and Cabinet ministers
The distribution Of the main and auxiliary
fleets and their training and mancPuvres are al
ready regulated by the probabilities Of a CAM
paign in the North Sea. When the leaders on
the front benches talk with stark naked cand'r
Of the struggle between the two nations for su-
rreracv on the high seas and the most peace
able Radicals are sobered aud silenced by the
gravity Of the crisis. there is little less than
mania for forecasting another salamis for either
Germany or England. Only this morning an In
teresting meeting was held at the Royal United
Service institution in Whitehall behalf Of the
Forth and CLYDE ship canal and the enterprise
v-as iusrifed mainly on strategic grounds The
chief sneaker. Sir Charles Campbell in advocat-
ing the construction of canal from the Forth
10 Loeb IomOnd. with an exit from the lake 10
the CIvde al Dumbarton. explained how con-
,enfent the waterway would he n in time OF
war the bridge were blown up and Tin" channel
obstructed to the east Of the Rosyth base ana
how necessary this northern cut would be if
the British fleets were 10 be massed against Ger
many from northern and southern stations one
sneaker after another recommended this costly
as of the first importance strategically.
and compared it either with the Panama Canal
as a necessary means of naval concentration or
with the kfel Canal, which. with additional
works has provided the German fleets with three
exits in time Of war.
It does not matter if the Prime Minister and
Sir Edward Grey assert that Englands dipio-
matte relations with Germany are uncIouded and
that there are no unsettled controversies Of any
imnortance The competition in naval arma-
ments has never been equally active between any
two European powers. and it naturally exctes
v-arIike feeling Not during recent years has