THE SHIPBUILDING PROGRAMME.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR..] SIR,—The reductions in the shipbuilding programme for this. and next year were announced on Friday, July 27th, or at the end of an arduous Session. Small wonder, then, that they have been very inadequately discussed. On July 30th Lord Tweedmouth revealed the circumstances in which the reduc- tions took place. I quote from the official Report :— " Lord TWEEDEIOUTH : We held meetings of the Board at which the whole matter was brought forward. Undoubtedly I brought forward the desirability of making reductions, all the circum- stances were surveyed, and all came unanimously to the conclusion announced.
Viscount GOSCHEN: I am glad to have elicited the statement that the Government did put before them the desirability of cutting down Estimates.
Lord TWEEDMOUTH : Of economy I take the whole responsi- bility."
Here is the truth in a nutshell. The Admiralty gave us the minimum consistent with efficiency in the Memoranda of November 30th, 1905, and the Statement Explanatory of the Navy Estimates in February. In July they framed their policy on economy without regard to efficiency. In the House of Commons we did not get the truth; we seldom do in regard
to naval affairs. Only on Tuesday Mr. Robertson stated that it was the settled policy of the Admiralty to frame their pro- gramme to meet only those ships actually sanctioned by foreign Parliaments or laid down. In the House of Lords on July 30th Lord Tweedmouth stated that the original pro- gramme framed in November took into consideration both the enlarged French and German programmes of this year. As these programmes were only sanctioned this year in the spring, both Mr. Robertson and his chief cannot be right. If the Annual Statement of the First Lord of the Admiralty was by an inflexible rule compelled to give the vessels building or projected for all foreign Powers which were taken into consideration when a programme was framed, we should have some check on the Admiralty. No susceptibilities would be wounded, for all Powers would be treated alike.—I am,
Sir, &c., CARLYON BELLAIRS. House of Commons Library.
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