The explanatory statement in regard to the Navy Estimates was
issued on Wednesday. The total amount asked for this year is £30,875,500, or an increase of 22,083,600 over last year. The number of officers and men is returned at 118,635, or an increase of 3,745. Of these, one thousand are Marines. The new shipbuilding programme proposes the laying down of three battleships, six armoured cruisers, two third-class cruisers, ten torpedo-destroyers, five torpedo-boats and sloops, and five submarine-boats, which last, however, were ordered, and work begun on them, in 1900. In addition, Lord Selborne promises that the greatest possible despatch will be used in dealing with the arrears of works. We must defer criticism of the Estimates till the debate, but we con- gratulate Lord Selborne upon having determined to experi- ment with submarine-boats. When this time last year we urged the Government to build only one submarine as an experi- ment, we were told that it would simply be money thrown away. The five boats now under construction are of the type invented by Mr. Holland, and will be delivered next autumn.
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