TEMPERANCE IN THE NAVY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14523, 27 November 1912, Page 3

TEMPERANCE IN THE NAVY.

ADDRESS BY ADMIRAL KINGHALL. MR MASSEY OX "OUR EMPIRE." (PRESS ASSOCIATION -ELE-RAM.) AUCKLAND, November 26. The 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Auckland-Total'Abstinence Society was celebrated last evening by a banquet which was tendered to Admiral Sir George King-Hall, commander of tho Australian Squadron. In reply to the toast of his health, -his Excellency said that ho'attended tho function to show his sympathy with" the temperance movement. He wished to have it understood, however/ -hat he Was not associating himself with any political aspect. Referring to tho Royal Navy Temperance Society, the Admiral Said thero were now 25,000 members, and that the leaders of the Navy, including members of the Admiralty, Lord Charles Beresford, and others, were in sympathy with the movements against strong drink was very evident. The best judges and magistrates at Home had said that the majority of crimes wero caused by alcohol, and his experience in the Navy had been tho same. Fully 75 per cent, of the punishments, especially those for insubordination, were caused through drink, and on this station, where the attractions were so great, he was sorry to say that desertions were many. The quarterly returns would be almost blank if it were not for drink. It would interest them to know that the German Emperor had taken up the question of the effect of strong drink upon tho officers and men of the German Navy. The Kaiser's leading Admiral was a friend of tho speaker, and twelve months ago he had taken up the study of temperance reform in the British Navy, and had been most interested. As an instance of the loss of efficiency due to the use of grog, the lato Captain Ogilvio, of H.M.S. Natal, had an accurate record kept of the daily records of men in shooting. That record was kept by his successor, who agreed with Captain Ogilvie that efficiency fell 15 to 40 per cent, after week-end leave. It was important at the present day to maintain the utmost limit of efficiency. An admiral might place hi- fleet in tho best possible position, but it was tho man behind the gun who was the ultimate factor, and he had to be tuned up to tho highest pitch to secure the greatest degree of efficiency. (Applause). His Excellency concluded by reciting some lines which he said his father was in the habit of giving at temperance meetings, the last line being: "Where there's drink, there's danger." (Applause). , The toast of "Our Empire" was proposed by the Hon. Geo. Fowlds. The Prime Minister, who replied, was received with cheers and continued applause. The toast of "Our Empire," he said, was of such importance that it was above party. (Hear hear). Tho greatest and ablest minds of the M<ftherland and of the Overseas Domi l.ims wero busy with Imperial matters. The problem of defence was difficult, and ho referred particularly to naval defence. Our existence as a nation and as an Empire depended upon j naval defence, ' and he thought they would agree when he said that the Overseas Dominions should spend more money on naval defence than they had in the past. They had to think of the interests of Canada and Australia, and how those interests would bo enlarged by the opening of the Panama Canal. They had also to think of the growing interests of their own country. There were three British nations in the Pacific, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and he looked forward to the time when it would be their duty to keep the British flag flying from one end of the Pacific to the other. They had heard that evening that the yearly contribution for New Zealand towards tho cost of the Imperial Navy was £250,000. Tliat included the cost of th_ interest on the battleship, but if tho battleship were paid for to-morrow the contribution would not be decreased. (Applause). Mr Mas?ey went on to refer to the Imperial Conferences, which, ho said, would soon become so great that they could not be broken by any force of nations. It was their duty to increase the contributions, for that was the way the Empire would be built up and strengthened. When the younger nations of the Empire came into being, not as dependencies, but as partners in the Empire organisations, that would surely be great and glorious, j