The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-11-28
Says Empires Relative Naval
Strength as Great as at Wars
Opening
Have Had Fair
Share of Success
British Navy Could Lose One
Dreadnaught a Month and
Still Maintain Its Naval Su-
premacy as at Present

london Nov. 2T.---Winston Spencer
Churchill. first lord of the Admiralty,
In a long statement in the House OF
Commons today regarding the naval
situation said mat the time had not
yet arrived To discuss prohtably the
majority of particular naval incidents
Of the war because all the facts could
not yet be disclosed.
The action in the Pacific, the loss
Of the Aboukir. Hogue and Greasy. and
the expedition TO Antwerp. he said.
were good Instances of this. All facts
regarding these incidents ought to be
and would he made public as soon as
possi bic.
This war is so serious and formid-
able" the first lord continued, that
tf Improvement can be effected com
handing officers ought to give place
10 others better able TO discharg rye
their pubic duty. The same princi-
Pie Is applicable to the heads of de-
partments The Premier ought not to
allcw any consideration Of party or
personal friendship to stand for "a
single moment IN the way OF making
er.y necessary changes"
Publish All Possible Facts.
The Admiralty, he said. desired 20
publish all information possible with
out prejudice to the public interest
and he thought they had done this
lie said thai he welcome free criticism
of whatever Information was pub
llsaged. but criticism, should be re-
strained when the person In unabl to
reply without disclosing facts the dis
"3osl're of wt1ich would work harm
TO he nation.
The Incidents seen he said, ARE
but small proportion Of the work
the navy is doing throughout the
world. The first was that of being
surprised by the outbreak Of war
before the navy could be mobilized.
once mobilized that danger is passed
The second was the possibility OF the
escape Of a number OF the enemy s
fast liners equipped TO destroy com
ulerce That hitherto has been sue
cessfuliF surFounted and only la per
cent of the British mercantile marine
has been destroyed. The third peril
was the danger OF mines. The enauy
has pursued methods which until the
present war would not have been be-
neved any civilized power would prac-
tice. The risks and difficulties aris-
Ing from these methods must not
he underrated, but they are being re-
stricted and controlled. Thu fourth
peril liz that OF submarines. The Brit -
ish power In submarines is much
greater than the enemy'S The only
reason Il has been unable to produce
results on large scale ia because
a target so seldom has been afforded
To the British submarines"
Mr., Churchill did not include an
oversee Invasion among the pertls, al
peril for those who might attempt II.
Comparison of Losses.
Comparing the losses for the four
months Of war, he said that as far as
the admiralty was aware. the num-
Der OF submarines lost by Great Brit
ain and Germany We're equal, but that
the proportional loss to Germany was
much greater because Great Britain
had double the number or the craft
constantly employed. Regarding de-
stroyers, he said that the British navy
had shown an enormous superiority in
gun power and had not lost de-
stroyer. while Germany had lost eight
or ten.
Great Britain, ne said. has lost six
older arrored cruisers, while Ger
many has lost two. but Germany s
loss Is proportionately four times the
British loss
With respect to light fast cruisers.
which, he said, had been the most
important factors In the war the
British have lost two out OF thirty six
while the Germans have lost, or had
interned, practically fourth of their
Twenty-Five The prospects for the
future with regard to these ships are
stu more satisfactory, for Great
Britain, he said. because she has an
enormous delivery of cruisers rapidly
nearing completion, while the enemy
could not produce half such a number
within a year.
At the outbreak of the war. he con-
tinued, Great Britain modified thirty
one dreadnaughts and battle cruisers
TO Germany twenty-one. The max
imum reinforcement Germany could
receive before the end of 1915 is three,
he said, while Great Britain will add
fifteen in that time. The new British
ships, too, will be ships of the great
est power IL naval history.
Gould Lose One a Month.
1T is no exaggeration tos say, the
naval lord went on. that Great
Britain could afford a superdead-
naught monthly for q year, even II
the enemy lost none and yet maintain
approximately the same superiority
she held at he outbreak OF the war
As a matter OF fact the relative
strength of the British feet Is now sub
stantiaiiy greater than at the ous-
break of the war.
Mir. Churchill paid q tribute 10 the
worltmen in the naval yards who are
periodically straining their efforts t.
the utmost to further the new con-
lContinued9 on Second Pags.)