Evening star., 1921-03-14
Naval Estimates Announced
by the First Lord
of Admiralty.
UNUSUAL RISKS TAKEN.
DECLARED BY LORD LEE
Amount Recommended Is Esq.,
479, 900 Net, About Two Millions
Less Than Last Year.


LONDON. March 1.-THE British
naval estimates for 1922 amount TO
f9l.lS6S69 gross and fS2.479.o00 net.
it was announced today by Lord Lee
Of Fareham. first lord OF admiralty.
In statement explaining the esti-N
mates Lord Lee said they were based
on the governments policy of main
tanning a ''one-power standard"
1T is the duty of the admiralty to
carry out that policy as economically
as possible Lord Lees statement
continued. giving full weight to the
special geographical. international
and other considerations which have
arisen since the war. This tney are
doing-in no mechanical spirit nor
with insistence upon numerical equal
ity-and recognizing to the full the
necessity of reducing expenditure TO
the lowest limits compatible with ma
tional security. The admiralty have
effected drastic economies and have
agreed to assume risks which, in Or
dinary circumstances they would re-
gard as difficult to reconcile with full
maintenance of the governments de-
clared policy"
Lord Lee pointed out that the econo-
mics included a reduction in the num-
ber of capital ships in full commission
from twenty to sixteen, as compared
with thirty-eight in 1914. This is the
smallest number that will enable the
essential Seagoing technical training OF
officers and men to be carried out prop
erly," the statement asserted.
Other Changes.
Other changes announced by Lord
Lee are the placing in reserve Of one
of the four destroyer flotillas of the
Atlantic fleet, reduction of the North
American and South African squad
rons by one light cruiser each, COM
plete temporary withdrawal of the
South American squadron and the re-
duction of the personnel of the fleet
during 1921 to 121,70O men, as COM
pared with 127.500 men in 1920.
These changes. dictated almost en-
tirely by the need of economy, ac-
cording to Lord Lee. make it incum-
bent on the admiralty to maintain a
reduced Navy in state of the high
est possibly efficiency" In pursuance
of this policy eight battieships. armed
| with twelve-inch guns, now in re-
serve, will be transferred to the dis
posal list.
The number of capital ships on the
effective list will thus be reduced to
belongs to the Australian common
wealth. and those which belong to
the Dominion of Canada. of which
fourteen will be in reserve. OF these
thirty ships the older types are be-
coming obsolescent and cannot be
reckoned as efficient fighting ships
for more than few years. the state
ment said. and the sum of f2.500, 600
therefore has been included in the
estimates for replacement shipA
1T cannot be too strongly empha-
sized that in making this long-de-
To- foc u-ifh ha raula Cov Mt
of obsolete ships Lord Lee declared.
''the government neither commits it
self to- nor contemplates any build
ing programs I'm answer to those of
any other m powell nosit,o Indeed 1. it trusts
frank and friendly discussion with
the principal naval powers, to avoid
anything approaching competitive
building, either now or in the future"
Reduction From Inst Year.
LONDON. March 13.-The navy cst-
mates will show reduction of SOM
millions of pounds on the net esti-
mate for the last financial year.
which was cSi.372 300, according
the forecast of the political cor
respondent of the London Timer
He SAYS there will be reduction OF
possibly 10000. 900. and understands
that following upon the findings of the
subcommittee of the committee of inn
periai defense. the government has de-
cided in principle that the capital ship
must continue to be the main unit OF an
effective fleet.
The correspondent refers to the es-
Inmates as embodying comparatively
moderate building program. and says
it would hardly be possible to spend
more than 100000 on each new bat
tleship laid down. He declares that
expert opinion tends strongly to the
view that delay in the construction OF
the new "post-Jutland ships" would not
be justified. owing to the necessity OF
ordering the material in advance and
utilizing the lessons of the war.