Government, who knew what the actual state of affairs was
last November, did not at once communicate the fact to Parliament, which was then sitting. The Government clearly realise that it is most important to get the country to face the facts. That being so, surely the earlier the better. Another feature of the debate, which, however, we do not desire to enter upon in detail, wao the discussion of certain statements made in the Reichstag on Wednesday by Admiral Tirpitz as to the number of ` Dreadnoughts ' which Germany will have ready in 1911, and also of Mr. Asquith's allegation that we had proposed a reduction of armaments to Germany but that she had refused. No doubt this discrepancy is due to the difference between sounding a Power diplomatically and an actual proposal. In any ease, we deprecate most strongly both as foolish and undignified these attempts to make our policy depend on what Germany did say or did not say, or will do or will not do. The matter is not one for such dialectical tests. Our business is to make our Fleet as strong as our resources will allow. Germany's declarations, which admittedly may and do change from day to day, are wholly beside the mark.
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