Berore proceeding tu consider the expert p: nion found in the "Annual" on the Far Eastern war, we cannot refrain from drawing attention to the very.important question of the corns mand of the sea raised by the determined efforts of the Powers to ald continually to their naval strength. At pr: sent it is the fashion to confine at'en'ion when dealing with the fundamental strength of navies to their list of battleships, and we cannot do better thin quite from the un ial" to show our position at the moment.
"As re completed first-class battleships," it says, "which afer all constitute the chit element of naval strength, the British Navy stands in better position thin last year, or than it hus ever done. Judyed by this standard, Germany lis become the s: cond naval Power, the United States the third, while Fra ce drops into the fourth place." In pussing, we may remark that, for x Power with so large a colonial cimpire, this is not the place that Franve should occupy, and he: recent determination to retrieve her posit on is evidence of her recognition of the fact.
In cruiser power, British str ngth is first and the rest nowhere. But it ix necessary to look to the future. There is no standing sill in naval matters, When all the ships now on the stocks are complet d, that is to s-y, in hree years' tim, our strength will not be s" far ahead asi is a' the moment. We shall have tilty battleships as og-inst forty- me for Germany and the United States together, forty-two for Germany and France, and an unknown number for France and Rus la, since what the latter Power wil! do in the nex three years is not to be foreseen, But, we quote once more, "the command of the sca is absolutely vital to the p ople of the Uniied Kingdom, who depend on over-sea supples for the raw material of their industries and the very food on which they live, It is equally vital to the continuance of the British Empire.... The resources of the United Kingdom are equal to build-g xga'inst Geimany tit is doubtful if they would be equal to building against Germany and Russia, a combination which s-ems more than probable, and the possibility of which has not pas-ed away. The resources of the Unit: d Kingdom are, however,: of "qual to those of the United States, and if the people of the Unitad Ste~s should ever determine t-~ccure the command of the ya, the people of the Unite Kingdom, upaidsyvavnot prevent it. id! and "the tes 5 Yesoure's of the British destitution and suffering inhabitants of Mancharta i area are far more than equal to Boonie the United Stales, and if those directly affected ty **° "9%
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.