27 SEPTEMBER 1919, Page 1

The fine spirit of good-fellowship that prevails in the British

Navy was illustrated on Monday at Portsmouth, where the men of the Lower Deck entertained Sir David Beatty and the senior officers of the Grand Fleet to dinner in the Town Hall. The Navy for many years past has known how to combine strict discipline with the most friendly relations between officers and men. In that knowledge lies the real secret of its success in the war. We may put the case in another way by saying that each man, of whatever rank, is trained to do his job well, and therefore respects his comrades. Whatever reductions may be Made in the Navy, we trust that this fine tradition of the Service will be preserved. As Sir David Beatty said, "their task was, as in the past, to make themselves, whatever their strength, the most efficient force that sailed the seas."