New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-18
Tells Dominion 1t Should
Not Depend on Britain
for Naval Defence.
ESTIMATES GROW
TO S257,750,00O
New l5.Inch Guns Will Hurl
Projectiles Weighing Ton a
Distance of Ten Miles.
nv Gable 10 The Tribune

London March lS-WinstOn Churchill,
First Lord Of the Admiralty, took two
hours and thlrty-hve minutes in the
House Of Commons yesterday to expound
and defend the navy estimates. amount
ing to s251 10000 for 1915. With regard
to new construction Of capital ships the
| First Lord declared that the Admiralty
adhered to its 60 per cent margin.
Surveying the whole naval situation and
having regard 10 the fact that the world
was arming as IL had never armed BE-
fore, he said that Great Britain's naval
strength must be amply maintained and
that the present provision Of Great Brit
| ain. in view of what Germany and other
nations were doing. was not at all eX-
treme or excessive.
The Anglo-Japanese alliance, renewed
to 1921. was referred TO by him as a
factor i'm the naval situation calculated
10 guarantee the effective protection Of
both Australia and New Zealand.
Mr.. Churchill announced that the dead
lock I'm respect to the Canadian offer OF
ships is in prospect OF solution.
I'VE are not without hope" he said,
|
naval defences Canada is a great and
wealthy community. with interests ever
| spreading more widely over the face OF
the globe She has TO make provision for
her own naval defence. If she were an
nexed to the United States she would no
doubt contribute through taxation 10 the
upkeep of the United States navy. If
| she were Independent she would have to
make provision at least equal to that Of
! the most powerful American state.
we do not wonder at all that Cana
dams OF every party think it not con-
sistent with the dignity and standing OF
! the Dominion that she should depend on
! the British taxpayer, who often is much
! less well off than the average Canadian.
Mr.. Churchill again suggested the for
nation Of an imperial squadron of capital
ships. capable of moving rapidly all over
the world, while each of the dominions
! maintained its own hotilas Of small craft
for the protection Of their commerce.
In regard 10 the new battleships for the
| navy Mr. Churchill said that three OF
! them would be Of the Royal Sovereign
\ type and one of the Queen Elizabeth
II type. All of them are TO carry lo-lnch
guns. which would be. according 70 the
First Lord. the best weapons ever pos
sessed BY the British navy, and would be
capable OF hurting a proiectile weighing
a ton a distance OF ten or twelve miles.
Great Britain. added Mr.. Churchill. Will
have ten ships armed with these powerful
Weapons by the time any other nation IN
the world has two.
A suggestive variant on the naval holi-
day" suggestion was made by Mr.
! Churchill in the following words:
Every delay, accidental or deliberate
by the next strongest power To England
will be matched by us"
Admitting that the naval estimates We're
the largest that had ever been submitted
| to the House the First Lord gilded the
pill by making the prediction that In the
absence Of any new departure the esti-
mates for 1876, would be substantially
lower than the present ones, which show
an increase Of SlS.7co.Cp over those OF last
year.