Mr. Stead very properly adds that we shall not be
any worse friends with Germany because she wishes to alter the status quo to our detriment. She has, of course, a perfect right to challenge our supremacy at sea if she so desires. Our basis. ness is not to gird at her for doing what she will with her own, or to whine and complain, but to meet her as wise and honour- able business men meet competition. The Daily Mail of Friday gives an interesting table working out in practice the effect of • adopting Mr. Stead's formula, and shows how very greatly we shall have to increase our programme to reach it. The writer in the Daily Mail- calculates that for 1908 alone we should re- quire a shipbuilding programme costing over nineteen millions. Whether this calculation is correct we cannot inquire now, nor will we enter into the question whether our Fleet must actually be double that of Germany to give us complete supremacy. It is enough on the present occasion to note with satisfaction Mr. Stead's recognition of the principle that our national safety is bound up with the acceptance of Germany's challenge. We may note here our regret that the same number of the Review -of Reviews contains a wholly un- justifiable attack on Sir Edward Grey, an attack to which: we shall probably return on some future occasion.
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