UNITY OF THE EMPIRE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 29, 3 February 1913, Page 5

UNITY OF THE EMPIRE.

THE PROBLEM OF THE PACIFIC. NEW ZEALAND WILL NOT SHIRK. VIEWPOINT OF MR. A. M. M\ERS. A reporter from the t; Star" cal!ed upon Mr. A. M. Myers, M.P. (ex-Minieter of Defence), to ascertain his views on the statements made by the Hon. James Allen in an interview last Saturday in connection with matters relating to Imperial defence.

In answer to a question, Mr. Myers said he was quite sure Mr. Allen was expressing the" opinion of the majority of the people of Nefw Zealand when he said that the full burden of the Pacific fleet should be borne by those parts of the Empire bordering on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. '■' It Is becoming more apparent every day," he said, "that the people of New Zealand, as in the other self-governing Dominions, arc slowly but surely advancing towards a more complete apprehension of their i duties and responsibilities as a unit of the British Empire. We are recognising that the principles and methods which have served us in the past are failing to meet the new needs of the. twentieth century, and that the unification of our Empire by some systematic, consistent and well-planned policy is necessary not only for its defence, but for its development. Recent events h-ave proved to the self-governing Dominions that they *nay be affected in numberless ways by what goes on outside their own borders, ami that they can no longer afford to ignore foreign affairs. It is now generally Tecognised amongst us that if we are to safeguard our national interests, the defence of our Empire can no longer continue to be tho rolp and exclusive concern of the United Kingdom."

" So far as (.lie problem of the Pacific is concerned." continued Mr. Myers, " it would seem to be the bounden duty of those portions of the Empire which are washed by the shores of that ocean to provide a local navy for the policing of the Pacific. I am entirely in favour of the creation of local navies, but cannot emphasise too strongly the fact that these must he under one supreme control. It i» impossihl for the Dominions to set up independent local navies of their own and at the same time maintain the unity so vital to the continued existence of the Empire. In this connection it seems to mc that the time has now come when a start should be made with the building -of smaller craft in our own ports., and this refers to the other selfgoverning units of the Empire as well. With our splendid seaboard and our natural resources, there is no reason why the ship-building industry should not flourish here.

"' As to Mr. Allen's remarks concerning the expeditionary force, in which enlistment would, of course, be entirely voluntary, I believe there would not be the slightest difficulty, if danger threatened our Empire, in raising a trained and well-equipped force. The New Zealander comes from i a race t-hat has always been ahle and willing to accept full responsibility in the past, and during the South African War the men of this country were not slow to give practical expression to their patriotism. Bearing that in mind, one can easrly realise what it would mean to the Imperial authorities if we, and other parts of the Empire, could place at their disposal a number of trained men, relative to our population, who in combination would secure the maximum of defence.' .