CORRESPONDENCE

THE ADMIRALTY AND THE NAVY

To the Editor of THE NATIONAL REVIEW

SIR, I notice that Admiral Lord Charles Beresford mentioned my name in his speech last night as being unfairly treated in having to leave the Coventry Ordnance Works. After his statements some explanation from me appears necessary. However, I should probably have refrained from making any public explanation except for the fact that Mr. McKenna (also speaking last night), in my opinion, deliberately endeavoured to mislead the public as to our naval position.

It is indeed sad that a Minister holding the position of First Lord of the Admiralty, and knowing among many other damaging facts the particulars I now relate, should dare, on the eve of a General Election, to mislead the country by pointing to a few battleships and stating "that we were secure, and might sleep comfortably in our beds." The inference from such statement is that England's naval position is as secure as when the present Government took office. I assert that Mr. McKenna knows perfectly well that such is far from the truth, and I write this letter in proof of my assertions.

I regret troubling you with so much about myself, but in the circumstances it seems unavoidable. The Coventry Ordnance Works, to which Lord Charles Beresford refers, were started by myself; it was a business in which there was little competition; I obtained important contracts from the War Office, and the works soon grew to a considerable size. When the rearmament of the horse and field artillery was decided upon a contract amounting to over one million pounds was allotted to me. I believe the War Department saved a large sum by my competition, and I was personally thanked for having completed it entirely satisfactorily and to the very day specified. I was fortunate in obtaining the co-operation of engineers and draughtsmen of remarkable capabilities. The results of the shooting of our howitzer (eventually adopted by the War Office), which far surpasssed all previous records, are some proof of this assertion.

As business progressed it became necessary to manufacture steel, and as this required more capital than I possessed I sold the business to a Sheffield firm.

Shortly afterwards, on their behalf, I formed the Ordnance Works into a separate company, in which two steel firms, both makers of armour plate, and three important shipbuilding yards were interested, the idea being that jointly we should be able to build complete battleships. From that time I was only interested in the company to the extent of having agreed to act as its managing director for a limited number of years. It then became necessary to erect further works and purchase very special machinery; this was proceeded with at first merely for the smaller size guns and mountings. To my astonishment I found that notwithstanding my record with the War Office the heads of the Admiralty were averse to permitting our competition. It seemed quite useless for me to point out precedents, or that we might improve existing designs as well as reduce prices. For unexplained reasons my competition was objectionable to certain Admiralty officials.

As regards their object in preventing the Coventry Ordnance Works from tendering for large mountings, I shall not be satisfied until an inquiry has been held. However, so far as small mountings were concerned, they could not prevent us from competing. Provided we were willing, at our own expense, to make the mountings, we could send them to be tested at Whale Island, and the Admiralty were bound to act on reports received from there. By this means I succeeded in securing the adoption by the Navy of original designs for each of the smaller or portable mountings, and obtained contracts, all of which were carried out satisfactorily. It was obviously impossible to build specimen 12-in. mountings, as these form a part of the ship; and here the officials of the Admiralty were able to stop us by declining to criticise our designs.

I would point out that our original intention of building complete battleships was impossible of fulfilment unless we also manufactured the largest size mountings. However, notwithstandings rebuffs, we decided to lay down a complete plant for the largest size mountings, at a further cost of about £600,000. Naturally, I was anxious to obtain the very best machinery that was possible. My engineers visited America, Germany, and other countries for that purpose. The machinery for these large guns and large mountings is of special type, and only suitable for that particular purpose. To my surprise we discovered at the works of each of the German machinery makers exactly the machines we wanted being built in large numbers. Our own requirements were not small, but each of the German machine makers already had in hand orders at least ten times greater than ours, which were being executed with all possible speed and quite irrespective of cost. It was not difficult to ascertain that the whole of these orders were intended for Messrs. Krupp. Calculations show that when this plant was delivered Messrs. Krupp would possess a capability of output at least twice as great as existed in the whole of England, and, what was more, would have the means of manufacturing the guns and mountings far quicker than in this country.

I felt it my duty to lay these facts before the Admiralty. The letter I wrote to them in May 1906 has already been published. Any one reading it will agree that it would be impossible to state the case more accurately. I had

many subsequent interviews with the heads of the Admiralty on the subject, and although I gave them numerous proofs of my assertions, and in some cases actual photographs of the machines, and although I repeatedly invited them to send some one over to Germany to see for themselves, my warnings were disregarded. In view of subsequent events, I should have been better advised to have also communicated with the Government, but had any one then told me I could not then have believed that the Admiralty were keeping such knowledge to themselves.

Here was Germany making preparations to enable her to build a navy which would surpass ours, and, on the other hand, here was the British Admiralty not only taking no notice of such vast preparations by a foreign Power, but apparently doing everything within their means to stifle competition and to discourage similar capabilities of output in this country.

I was met by retorts that I was only making these statements to induce the Admiralty to place orders. As managing director of the works, of course I wished to obtain orders, but I only wanted to tender for these in fair competition, and I repudiate the statements that my information was in any way due to this cause. I spoke on the subject to every one whose words I thought would carry weight with the Admiralty or the Government, but no steps were taken.

In November 1908 I was fortunate in obtaining a hearing from one of our greatest generals. I wish I had permission to mention his name, as the country is under a great debt of gratitude to him. He realised the gravity of the matter, and I believe it was owing to what he then repeated to the Government that Mr. Asquith made the following statement on March 16 last:

"We knew it, or heard of it at any rate, last autumn, I think in November, and it was in view of that most grave and to us not only unforeseen but unexpected state of things that we had to reconsider our programme for the present year."

I continued to represent the facts to the Admiralty, but as it was quite clear they intended to ignore the position I wrote letters to other officials. Last February I was asked to interview the Imperial Defence Committee, and laid the whole matter before them. They informed me that what I said was corroborated by other recent information, and gave me their pledge that the facts should at once be placed before the Cabinet.

The following week I was sent for to Downing Street, and at this interview both Admirals Fisher and Jellicoe were present, as well as nearly all the members of the Cabinet. At that interview I pointed out that what had now proved to be accomplished facts were set forth in my letter of May 1906. Admiral Jellicoe admitted that he had received that letter and that I had referred to it at many subsequent interviews. I asked Admiral Fisher also to confirm this so far as he was concerned, but was unable to understand his reply.

I pointed out the mistakes with the 12-in. guns then adopted in the Navy.

I pointed out the inferiority of our means of production in this country, and how hopelessly we were behindhand compared to Germany.

I proved that in Germany nearly three times more gun-steel and armour plate had been manufactured each year since 1906 than in this country, and how the Ordnance Works had been precluded from tendering on large mountings. On the last point I saw Mr. McKenna again a few days afterwards.

Mr. McKenna's admissions a few days subsequently in Parliament are now a matter of history. Various attempts have been made by Members of Parliament to obtain an admission from the Government as to when they knew of the German expansions, but, so far, all that has been elicited is Mr. McKenna's reply on June 17 last that "it was known early in 1906." He would not state whether that meant it was known then only to the Admiralty or whether also to the Government.

After the interview at Downing Street, the Admiralty officials referred to commenced an active campaign against me personally. I was unable to see them (as I had been in the habit of doing previously) respecting work on which my company were engaged.

At this time we were expecting to receive contracts for large naval mountings. Statements had been made in Parliament to that effect; however, the orders did not arrive, and at a board meeting several of my co-directors explained how they had been approached, directly and indirectly, by Admiralty officials, with a strong hint that these orders would not come until I left the works. I replied that in such circumstances there seemed no alternative but for me to retire, but that the whole matter must be explained to a third person, so that at no future time could it be suggested that I had left under a cloud. I also stated that in no circumstances could I make any pledge to regard the matter as secret.

I would like to add that on financial grounds I have no grievance whatever; although my agreement had nearly terminated, the directors presented me with an amount which was entirely satisfactory to me. They also passed the following resolution:

"That Mr. H. H. Mulliner's resignation be accepted with the greatest regret and that the secretary do write to him and convey to him the thanks of the board for the unremitting zeal and industry he has always displayed in the company's interest and for the ability he has shown in the management of the company's affairs and the regret which the directors feel in losing the benefit of his services."

A few days afterwards the Coventry Ordnance Works received the contract which we had been daily expecting for the past three months.

I submit, considering the facts disclosed above, that Mr. McKenna's statement as to the Navy being satisfactory is unfounded. During the term of office of this Government our naval supremacy has been imperilled, and to-day the situation is more grave then ever it has been. The only point on which there can be any doubt is as to whether this result is owing to the reticence of certain Admiralty officials or to deliberate neglect on the part of the Government. If it is the latter, it is no question of politics, but of almost criminal

neglect of duties entrusted to them, and should it be proved no true Englishman can record his vote for their return to office.

In the hope that some one will be able to extract the required information to enable the country to judge, I will give £100 to any one who first obtains from any responsible member of the Government a straightforward reply to the following question:

At what date were the Government first aware of the enormous acceleration for the production of armaments, which commenced in Germany at the beginning of 1906 and which is admitted by Mr. McKenna to have been going on continuously ever since? Yours faithfully,

CLIFTON COURT, NEAR RUGBY,

December 16, 1909.

H. H. MULLINER,