On Friday, May 15th, the House of Commons were occupied
with the Navy Estimates, and some interesting points were discussed. Mr. Goschen admitted that he was not satisfied with the existing arrangements in regard to arming the subsidised cruisers with quick-firing guns. They had, however, one hundred and four of the 47 guns ready ; some of these were at Devonport and Portsmouth and Woolwich, and some at Sydney, and also some guns, but of an inferior pattern, at Hong-kong. The matter would certainly not escape the attention of the Admiralty. It is to be hoped that this promise will be acted on. The country ought to be able to feel that on the declaration of war the subsidised cruisers would be able to be fitted at once with their full complement of quick-firing guns. Speaking of the Reserve, Commander Bethel declared that we ought to pass a number of men through the active service for two or three years. Mr. Goschen, though he deprecated—and, in our opinion, quite rightly—anything in the nature of a general short-service system, was not averse to considering a proposal for introducing an arrangement of the kind indicated by Com- mander Bethel "side by side with the present system."
