London, Feb. 4.
In the course of a speech at the Constitutional Club to-day, Mr. Bridgeman, First Lord of the Admiralty, said the Navy must not be neglected even in pence time. He pointed out that by the Washington Agreement the cruisers was limited. Nevertheless he sid not think the British had ever. een able to see why they should be regarded as being in the same position as any other country. Therefore they had made a very great fight to have up-to-date cruisers.
"I am glad to say," he went on, "that we have been nobly supported by the Commonwealth of Australia."
The contribution of a quarter of 'a million sterling from Hongkong had enabled them to start floating docks in the Straits Settlements, which would at least provide docking for capital ships. He declared that, as they proceeded—as hoped they would;—with the full programme laid down for a complete base at Singapore they would then have ensured not only the capacity a fleet to defend trade in those waters, but also greater efficiency and economy,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.