New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-11
Naval Administration in Great Britain.

The sudden disclosure of Colonel Win
ston Churchill as a wholehearted cham
pion of Lord Fisher is as unaccountable
as It was manifestly surprising TO most of
his audience in the British House of Com
mons. No sooner had his successor at the
Admiralty completed a most reassuring
and encouraging review Of the present
state Of the fleet than the late First Lord
arose and, upon no apparent provocatlon,
proceeded to express the gravest anxiety
about the conduct Of naval affairs since
his resignation. This was sufficiently
startling, but even more amazing was his
earnest plea for the restoration of the
very man who had been denounced by HIM
self when he relnquished Office as having
failed to support him and give him the
guidance he was entitled to expect at
critical moment.
1t may be that circumstances of which
the public is unaware were glanced at by
Colonel Churchill in his vague warning
against relaxation Of effort" There can
be no doubt that for some months past
there has been a notable decline in naval
expenditure. That has been openly ad-
mitted by the Government, nor can it be
doubted that the increasing requirements
of the army have been met in some
measure by curtailment in the shipyards.
This began, however, in Colonel ChurchilPs
time and evidently with his consent; hence
it cannot be taken as a sufficient explana-
ton of his astonishing censure Of the pres
ent administration. To what degree the
needs Of the fleet have been sacrificed it is
impossible TO say, but besides the demands
of the army it is necessary TO take into ac-
count a further drain due TO the serious
shortage in merchant shipping, for 1t IS
known that workers formerly employed by
the Admiralty have Of late been released
in order to meet this pressing emergency.
Mr.. Balfour has announced that since
the beginning Of the war the tonnage of
the navy has been increased by more than
| 100000. This assurance, if a little in
definite, is highly gratifying as far as
it goes, and, as he remarks, it is difficult
to understand why any one who was con-
| fident in the first three months of the war
should be seriously apprehensive to-day.
| Mr.. Balfour himself, however admitted
not many years ago that in building facili-
ties Germany was almost as well off as
Great Britain, and it can hardly Be sup
posed that while the British fleet has
been growing the German dockyards have
been idle. The British Admiralty may
have some vague mixing of what has
been accomplished, but il is impossible TO
ascertain with any degree Of certainty in
what way or TO what extent the Germans
have strengthened their navy. OF one
thing we may feel pretty sure, that they
have done their utmost 70 prepare il for
that great Day which all good Germans
look forward TO so eagerly. Their prepare
tons began, however, long before Colonel
Churchill went abroad.
There have recently been some signs Of
popular uneasiness in England with re-
gard 70 the fleet, and q great many won
derful rumors have been circulated about
/ German activities. II is difficult to ac-
count for the stories published, and most
Of them may be dismissed as purely fanci-