London, June 25.
My. A, V, Alexander, the First] Lord of the Admiralty, announced the House of Commons to-day the Government's naval construction programme for 1980, as follows:—Three cruisers, all of the six-inehgun type; One flotilla of destroyers, comprising one leader and eight dee-troyers; Three submarines; Four sloops; and One minelayer.
Supplementary new estimates, said] Mr, Alexander, would be introduced for the small sums required-to be} spent in this financial year on these vessels. These ships were required to replace others which would have passed out of use and they would] enable the Navy to carry out, its current duties in time of peace. The programme had to be in relation to those of the other Powers.
Mr, Alexander added that the total cost would be about £9,000,000—Wireless through Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.