The Times of Wednesday publishes from its Berlin corre- spondent
an extract from an article in the Tag by Herr von Rath on German naval policy. " It was the gospel of the naval enthusiasts," he writes, " that England under a Liberal Government would, in view of the demands of her social policy, refrain from building a larger number of ships, and even might build fewer. It was calculated that when the Conservatives returned to office Germany would already have obtained a lead which it would be difficult for England to recover." Herr von Rath goes on to say that affairs in the Mediterranean, in India, and in the Far East were expected to make Britain extremely anxious for peace in her immediate neighbourhood; but though these reasons were plausible, they were all in fault. Britain does not, after all, contemplate any real change in naval policy, and Herr von Rath foresees no limit to expenditure either in Germany or in Britain. If what he says as to the basis of German policy is true, there are certainly likely to be longer ship- building programmes in Germany than we have yet seen. But we still hope that Germany, understanding that we mean to maintain the command of the sea be the cost what it may, will not provoke us to outbid more costly programmes than those "based upon the view" which Herr von Rath describes.
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