THE BRITISH NAVY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2757, 11 March 1910, Page 5

THE BRITISH NAVY.

THE PROGRAMME FOR 1911. £50,000,000 TO BE SPENT. United Bn ess Association—Copyright (Received -March 10, 10.80 p.m.) . IjONDON, --arch 10. hi the House of Commons, the Naval Estimates were introduced. They provide for a total expenditure of £50,603,. 700. The personnel of the navy is increased to 131,000. ' New construction costs £73,279,839, whereof £11,850,790 is to he spent on vessels already under construction. The balance is to he used for beginning work on the new programme, which comprises five large armoured ships, five protected cruisers, twenty destroyers, and a number of submarines. This is independent of four contingent battleships and the New Zealand and Australian vessels, tenders for which are now being considered. During the year five battleships, two unarmoured cruisers, nine destroyers, six torpedoers, and sixteen submarines have been completed. Thor« will be under construction on April Ist seven battleships,' three armoured crui. sers, nine protected cruisers, two unarmoured cruisers, thirty-seven destroyers, and nine submarines, and two floating docks capable of taking the biggest battleships. The docks are to he completed by 1911, and stationed midway between Portsmouth and Lon_ don.

• Mr. McKenna stated that the aeronautical branch was conducting important experiments, and airships would ho completed for trial during the summer. He added that very satisfactory reports had been received concerning the first hatch of Australian and New Zealand officers trained in England.

A DIPLOMATIC REPLY

(Received March 10, 11.15 p.m.)

In the House of Commons. Mr. Byles asked whether the recent friendly statements Of the German Government would influence the naval estimates in the direction of retrenchment.

31 r. McKenna replied that he reciprocated Germany’s friendliness, hut the naval estimates were not based on the assumption that other nations meant to he; unfriendly. They wore framed to preserve our standard of naval power. He added that no utterances of the German Ministers indicated an intention to modify their naval expenditure.