NEW ZEALAND'S NEW POSITION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7916, 2 October 1909, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND'S NEW POSITION.

AUCKLAND, October 1. Mr W. J. Napier, who is president of the Navy League in Auckland, was emphatic in his opinion upon the importance of the new naval arrangements as they, affect New Zealand. "Auckland is, of course, the naval station by virtue of the agreement between the Auckland Hafboilr Board and the Admiralty," he said. "The Admiralty pays £5000 a year for thirty years to the Board by that agreement. Sir Joseph Ward has, however, acquired for us what the Navy League and others have been trying to obtain for years, Auckland as the naval station for New Zealand waters. Auckland now becomes the New Zealand station of the Pacific Fleet;*'and the only station in Australasia; &nd the Australian fleet will be an 'Australian subgoyerned unit of the. Imperial fleet. The whole position presents more farreaching constitutional changes than baye ever taken place before in the History of the British Empire. It takes away to some extent the position _of Australia as a dependency or portion of the Empire. She really becomes a nation, and her fleet in war time will co-operate as would the fleet of any other allied nation. To my mind fhe importance to New Zealand of all this is that it immensely increases our status. We will no doubt have established here stores, ammunition and coal depots. Personally, I think that Sir Joseph Ward has done a great thing for New Zealand." ;