In the discussion on the Navy Estimates on Monday, Lord
George Hamilton blamed the Government for not supple- menting the now nearly expired programme of the Naval Defence Act by a new scheme. The present Board's inaction during the last twelve months had unquestionably put the country in the position that, unless a strong and determined effort were now made, "in two or three years our supremacy at sea would be endangered." He had made an elaborate and careful comparison between our Fleet and those of the Conti- nental Powers, and. found that, as regards second-class cruisers and smaller vessels, we had a superiority over any two nations ; and that in first-class cruisers we were also superior ; but that as regards battle-ships—" the essential part of a Navy, and that upon which supremacy depended "—we were in an in- ferior position. We were three short of France and Russia as regards first-class battle-ships. Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttle- worth's speech was chiefly noticeable for his announcement that the Admiralty were going to build torpedo-catchers which would be able to do their work. Sir William Harcourt inter- vened in the debate to abuse the Naval Defence Act. He tried to prove that the late Government had left the present one to pay for the ships they had built. Mr. Goschen, how- ever, showed that Lord Salisbury's Administration had imposed taxes to meet their debts, and that the complaint was, there- fore, groundless. We have dealt elsewhere with Sir E. Reed's very important contribution to the debate.
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