The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1908. OUR NAVAL POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 197, 18 August 1908, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1908. OUR NAVAL POLICY.

War the Mwt that lack* aartatono* for the wrong that »eedt renttanct, for the future in Hie distance. And the good that tee can do.

We presume that it is not necessary to take Mr. Winston Churchill seriously as an oracle of England's foreign policy. As President of the Board of Trade, he can hardly- be supposed to control our relations with foreign. Powers; and nothing but the inordinate self-confidence of this versatile young man could have induced anyone in his position to speak so decisively for the Government, in which he is a comparatively unimportant figure, about matters entirely outside bis own departmental affairs. But little as ■wje think of Mr. Winston Churchill's views on international politics it is, as the "Times" has pointed out, a very significant and rather ominous fact that they should have been thus officially expressed. There seems a good deal of ground for the suspicion at which several leading English journals have lately hinted, that a definite section of the Cabinet has deliberately engaged in the task of undermining the policy of which Sir tdward Grey has shown himself so able an exponent. If this be so, we can only hope that these intrigues will fail speedily and utterly; for Sir Edward Grey has won the confidence of all political parties, and the rrspect of our Continental rivals, and L;s removal from office or the reversal of his policy at the present juncture would be nothing ehort of a great national disaster.

The basis for this alleged attempt to supersede Sir Edward Grey is. of course, the misguided sense of economy which has developed co acutely of late in certain members of the Liberal Ministry. Mr. Lloyd George in particular has several times emphatically dissented from the decision of the majority of the Government to maintain its ship-build-ing standard: and as Chancellor of the Exchequer there is some excuse for his anxiety over the heavy burden of public expenditure. But, while it is becoming increasingly difficult for England to support her tremendous annual defence purposes upon the. existing narrow basis of taxation, the need for keeping up the Two-Power Standard grows more urgent every year. So difficult has the purely financial aspect of this problem become that a rumour has already gained ground that Government will attempt to meet naval expenditure for some years by raising large loans. According to the "Daily Telegraph," a, number of financiers have offered to advance £100,000,000 at a low rate of interest for this purpose; and there is nothing intrinsically improbable in the story. Germany has been driven to fiaance her army and navy on borrowed money, and England's credit is certainly good enough to enable her to command all the funds that she might require in this way. But the suggestion indicates clearly how heavy a burden the naval estimates have become, and how necessary it is, in the eyes of even an economical and peace-loving Government, to keep up the strength and efficiency of our first line of defence.

As to the last point, we believe that — Mr Winston Churchill to

the contrary notwithstanding — there is very little doubt in the public mind at Home that England's efforts must be increased rather than relaxed if the safety of the Kingdom and the Empire is to be secured. One most interesting proof of the extent to which solicitude for the Navy has overpowered partisan prejudices, is to be found in the testimony recently borne by the "Westminster Gazette"' to the wisdom of a vigorous and progressive naval policy. According to this most stalwart of the Liberal journals—itself a professed advocate of amicable understanding with Grr many—the chief danger which England has to face is the rapid growth of the German nary. The "Westminster Gazette" has published a carefully detailed table, showing that by the end of 1012 England will possess eleven vessels of the Dreadnought type- against Germany's thirteen. In view of the expressed intention of the Asquith Government to maintain the Standard, this is not a little disquieting; and the only possible inftrrencp compatible with a regard for national safety is that the 1909 programme must be largely extended. Vet, what is to be expected from a Cabinet in which the penny wiee pound foolish policy of refusing to pay premiums on national insurance against risk . is already voiced so fluently by Mr Winston Churchill and certain of his friends? Truly, the price of Empire' is eternal . vigilance, and never more co for England than now.