ALL RED SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 168, 9 April 1908, Page 7

ALL RED SERVICE.

INTERESTING OPINIONS.

NO DIFFICULTY IN COALING. LOSS AT IST ART. [IV TEI.ECI'.Arn —riIESS ASSOCIATION —COPYiIIGHT. (Rcc. April 8, 10.20 p.m.) -j . ' London, April 8. A mooting of the Colonial Institute, Lord Derby presiding, discussed a paper by . Lord Strathcona (High Commissioner for Canada), dealing with tho All Red roiitc, from the Imperial standpoint. Those present included the High Commissioner for Now Zealand, Mr. Uievos, some of tho Agents-General, and other representative Australians. Lord Strathcona defended tho St. Lawronco route. Ho declared that the channel in tlio, St. Lawrence would have a minimum width of a 1000 ft., and a minimum depth of 40ft., at lowest tide, up to Quebec. Ho emphasised the necessity of Britain maintaining a supremo and up-to-date merchant marino, particularly in.tho Pacific, in view of the potentialities of trade. Ho did not claim that tho schcmo would (jo self-supporting at tho outset, but tho route would create its own trade. Ho added that steamships built in England would provide a good investment. 'Admiral Sir John Coloinb emphasised tho coming struggle for supremacy in; tho Pacific, and said that auxiliary cruisers would bo useless without battleships. ' , Admiral Sir Archibald Douglas (a nativo of Quebec, who commanded the North American and West. Indian stations from 1902 to 1904) considered that there would be no difficulty in coaling, and that there, was' airiplo accommodation at Fanning Island. ; Captain Collins, tho Commonwealth Agent, said that the Suez route was inevitably more valuable to Australia than the proposed All Red route, but tho Commonwealth agreed that it would 'be an advantage to have an alternative route.: Mr 1 . Reeves declared that the unforeseen success, of the Pacific cable, and tho .trade created, via Sail-Erancisco, were a. good omen for tho All Red . route. Though -ho admitted that' Australia relied upon tho Suez highway, Now Zealand and Queensland would stand to gain cousidrably by means of ; tho All Red route.' ■ , , SIR JOHN COLOMB'S CRITICISM.'; Though his speech is but scrappily reported in the cablegram, Admiral Sir 'J olm Coloml), the noted authority on defence, is, or was until recently, one of the most vigorous ' opponents of the. All Eed scheme. In .an article m "The Times" .in December, lie asked: "What does this 'All Eed Eouto' rcrilly mean, and: what is tho origin of the phrase?'.' In his opinion it is "a mischievous—because a deliberate—misnomer" because "all the. exist-' ing routes of tlio Empire by sea have equal claims to bo' designated as ' All Eed Eoutes.' The special clainl ■ for gen'eraus and special by the United Kingdom disappears 1 when . basad upon sentimental but fictitious nomenclature. Tlio truth, is, every one of the ■lines of communication connecting parts of our Empire witli each .other are 'All Blue'— , the. bluest of-'blne water. . All . cross tho world's commonage,.and all-are-naturally, open to the free use of all nations in peace,' whilst in war they, will bq' in the. grip ot'.predoniinant power ,at sea.' Subsidising British-shipS"to run over any particular'line cannot prevent other ;na'tions from, subsidising theirs "t'oiTiJo. precisely the.same thing. In peace, no..nation- can nationalise any routo on high sea's, while in war : the stronger war fleet can-,and will deny its ,uso to whom it pleases.. Calling a route which. ; ismainly' maritime by a false name.,'.will neither prevent commercial- competition in peaco nor frighten victorious admirals in-war from shutting it up like'a tclcscop'e." • ; Admiral Colomb/goes .on to .say that , any to .delude,, popular opinion by means of emotional claptrap may. again imposo .upon the nation ,the pains and ponnlties of a gigantic and costly, sham. N - .After Mr. Haldane's warning about -tho' 1 cost of maintaining • the ■•two-Power standard, if v tho nation wishes : to' postpone so terrific a catastrophe as tho abandonment of .that- standard, it- must refuse' to •listen to colonial)appeals, for- money to multiply sea. routes' in order to facilitate commercial .operations,, unless tho.colonies.consent- to share tho responsibility" of, the cost and . maintenance. of. the ' fleet. ~lf tho- several parts of ,the • Empiro cannot,, or -will;' not,, combino to provide, the, naval power tiiecessarv to secure . what, is' common and essential- to all of 1 them, ■the sceptre of the sea must pass from British hands. "It is important that .our colonial fellow-subjects should realise that the. resources of the metropolitan province of their Empiro cannot indefinitely continue to lead in the race.for- sea. supremacy. AH the great States' competing for,, predominancy in maritime power; draw upon ,all tho resources of all their provinces and all', their component 'parte.' The British Empire alone does not."