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THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 29, 1988.
NAVY REARMING SPEED-UP
Growing Volume Of LESSON LEARNED BY MOBILISATION
Charges that the Navy was not fully prepared for war when the emergency arose and, in particu- lar, that the naval construction programme is seri- ously in arrears, have been made in certain quar- ters recently. They have little foundation in fact.
On the whole, the mobilisation of the Fleet was carried out more quickly and efficiently than even the officers had anticipated.
At very short notice the Home Fleet, with its
New Construction
-POLAND'S-
SWITCH IN POLICY
London, To-day. The "Times" Warsaw corres- pondent, commenting on the Rus- so-Polish friendly agreement, says that Japan has been making great efforts to draw Poland into. the Anti-Comintern pact.
The Japanese arguments began to show signs of succeeding when the revelation of Germany's policy in
middle Europe frustrated them. Thus it may be considered that Germany over-reached her- self. Reuter.
ships' companies brought up to war strength, had NO ADDITIONAL
quietly reached its potential war bases.
Normally battleships and cruisers not serious, have been due mainly BRITISH ARMY
have on board only about 80
per to congestion in the armaments in- cent. of their war complements. The dustry, which has also to cope with remaining 20 per cent. joined the large orders for the Army and the
Air Force. Fleet in less than three days.
In the same period every vessel of the Home Fleet was provided with und its full quota of fuel, stores munitions:
An unprecedented number
of
COMMITMENT
London, To-day.
NEW COMPLAINT OF JAP. TRADE TACTICS
London, To-day.
In the House of Commons yesterday, Mr. R. A. Butler de- clared that he had no informa- tion, but was making inquiries when asked whether he was aware that British merchants de- siring to send export goods to Tientsin, from the interior of China, had to negotiate for rail- way transport with the monopoly transport companies under Jap- anese control, that unfair discri- mination was exercised in the al- location of space for cargo, and was asked what steps he was tak-
· Reuter.
older warships has also been under- Asked in the House of Commons going modernisation. In many whether Britain was, in certain cases this involves practically the circumstances, committed to sending to secure proper treatment rebuilding of the ship.
an Expeditionary Force to France for British traders. was It is no exaggeration to say that and whether, as a result of his The Mediterranean Fleet
action, as was the Navy is beginning to receive a Paris visit there had been any in- equally ready for every squadron on the more distant veritable flood of new construction,!crease in British commitments Mr.
South the volume of which will increase Neville Chamberlain replied: stations, from Australia to
greatly during the next few years. "The answer is in the negative." America.
facts into con- He also told the Opposition ``At home the dockyards perform-Taking all the ed wonders in getting cruisers and sideration, the progress of naval Leader later that no decisions were destroyers of the Reserve Fleet rearmament to date is an achieve- taken at Paris regarding defence ment of the first magnitude. Not which involved obligations for Bri- ready for sea.
the least remarkable feature of ittain. is the expansion of the Navy's per- sonnel by 30,000 officers and men within four years.
LINERS RAN TO SCHEDULE
While it would necessarily have taken some time for the Navy to develop its full fighting power, in- cluding the provision of armed lin- ers and hundreds of auxiliary patrol assemble craft, the forces it did
were undoubtedly strong enough to ensure Britain's command of the
sea.
The fact that with one exception-- where the ship was required for Government purposes-all the Bri-
PRINCE PAUL IN LONDON
London, To-day.
British Wireless.
KING'S VISIT TO CANADA MINISTER-FREE
London, To-day.
Neither Lord Halifax nor the
SANTA LUCIA Duke of Devonshire, will accom-
LANDSLIDE
London, To-day.
In connection with the landslide In Santa Lucia on November 21 in which about fifty were killed and many injured, it is now announced
pany His Majesty the King to Canada next summer.
...
While in the Dominion, the King will have members of the Canadian Cabinet 28 Ministers in Attendance.
It may be that Lord Halifax will Lord Halifax called at Bucking- that His Majesty's Government accompany the King on his four- tish liner services continued to run ham Palace yesterday and saw has approved a free grant of £16,000 day visit to the United States but to schedule during the crisis is proof Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, who is to the Government of Santa Lucia. no official decision has of the confidence that was felt in staying there.-British Wireless, the strength and efficiency of our naval defences. ·
The
current shipbuilding pro- gramme embraces about 130 ships, aggregating well over 600,000 tons. Its execution has thrown a heavy strain on the industries concerned. This strain was the more severe be- cause for many years previously the industries had been working at the lowest pressure.
NOVEL DESIGN
Another factor tending to cause delay was the entirely novel design of practically all the new ships. Even before the ships themselves were laid down, many thousands of tons of armour plate and thousands of guns of all calibres, from the new 14-inch monsters down to light anti-aircraft pieces, together with their complex mountings, were or- dered!
To give” one example, the des- troyer programme alone calls for the delivery of nearly 300 4.7-inch guns, including reserves, of a new model with high-angle mountings of a type never before seen in the Navy.
Such delays as-have occurred in completing new ships, and they are
· Madame Chlang
-British Wireless.
binde one of severi
friends of the Chinese people just before the full
yet been
made.-British Wireless.
motor ambulancas which reached Hankow from American...
the city into Japanese hands in October,