"TOY NAVY" WRECKED.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 133, 5 June 1914, Page 4

"TOY NAVY" WRECKED.

A _____ OF STRAW. DEMOLISHED BY MS. FiSHER. (By Telegraph.—Presa Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. A political address was given by'tha Hon. F. M. B. Fisher at Eastbourne tonight. Dealing with naval defence, tha Minister said there was an impression abroad that the Government was gc.in<» to establish a local navy. This wa | —ltrue. and absurdly wrong. Such _ story was a straw man set up by the Opposition, to which they set light and' danced around gleefully. The Government did'not ■«_—; New Zealand to be cut off from Great Britain on any consideration, and to this, end had inserted a clause in last year's Naval Bill, which said that in the went of the declaration of war between Britain and another Power the men or vessels in New Ze_i__d "waters should pass automatically to tiie control of tlm Admiralty.

In 1909 the -npefial Gorern-eiifi agreed to send out two Bristol cruisers and two destroyers to New Zealand', tho HjM.s. New Zealand retnaifting in Boms waters. After some delay the British Government found it inadvisable to send out the cruisers, and New Zealand would have to be- content tfitfc tha Psyche. Pyrarp-js. and Philomel, which were obsolete and useful only as training ships. It would 1 be better for tho Dominion to have one good ship than three i—-eless ones. TAXATION AM) D___NC_. .' Speaking at Helensville last night of sC'T—b of the unfair criticism ij which he had been subjected over: the . Dominion's gift of the battleship New Zealand, Sir Joseph Ward' reminded ■ tha audience of a fact that is frequently forgotten, namely, that the taxation tha gift involved did not come out of-tha pockets of the poor worker and} the poor farmer, as his opponents alleged. It was covered by an increase in the tax on bank notes (and none of them had had to pay more for his bank notes); by an increase of the totalisator tax) (and none, of them had -to pay any more for their tickets); and, lastly, an increase in the death dirties (and none in the audience was affected by that). (Laughter.)

Sir Joseph Ward's sentiments on the> Dominion's naval policy, which he. expressed in similar language to that used in his Devonport addfess of the previous evening, were apparently fully chared by his hearers. His scattering of ths

"toy navy," proposed by Mr. Massey"s Cabinet as a substitute for Jvew __. land's contribution to one great 'and efficient all-British Navy, was thoroughly appreciated. He underlined tha fact that not one member of the Cahlfe', had received the mandate of the country for its action in departing from Netr Zealand's policy in regard' to naval matters, and said he did not believt that any Minister would ever feceiva that mandate. (Hear, hear, and applause.) .