BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2672, 30 November 1909, Page 5

BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

GABLE NEW&

WISE REMARKS OF AN ENGIISII ' JUDGE. , Jsji. ite —: —• a' . '’* ' "

United Pii'vrh- Ahbljoi ATibN.-^Cop yri cmit (Received November 29,. 10.20 p.m.) ; , London, nov. 29.

Sir John Bigham, speaking at the Liverpool. Shipbrokers’ , Benevolent Society’s dinner, said that, vlien the warship tonnage now oh' the stocks was afloat, Britpra would b 6. represented by 2,000,000 tons, Germany by .520,000 tons, and tiie United States by 785,000 tons. In the next few years the British increase WQuld be 15 per cent., to the German 20 per cent. He said that Germans had assured us that Germany had no intention of attacking us. We needed an enormous navy', Germany did not, and he wa,s unable to find any explanation of her great naxy except that it was to be held in reserve for future use, and for a use not-'agree-able to us. Germany was making ber!self'very strong in the North Sea ; and on the other side, and in the Baltic. To be candidj he believed that it was at Germany’s instance that Austria was strengthening herself in tiie Mediterranean. We should, therefore, spare no pains or money in our keeping of the fleet up to the mark. If we did so we should live in peace.

[Sir John Bigham was formerly an M.P. for Liverpool. He is & Judge of the King - s Bench Division,. and was a member of the Royal Commission on Railways and Canals, and also a Judge of Martial Law in South Africa.]