THE AMERICAN FLEET.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 255, 21 July 1908, Page 6

THE AMERICAN FLEET.

attitude of the government.

PREMIER REPLIES' TO. CRITICISM;

Speaking at the political social at Kent Terrace last evening, Sir. Joseph. Ward replied to some of the criticisms tluifc have been directed against the Government in connection with the entertainment of tlio American n« 011 coni ! l 'B Visit to Auckland. lhe Prime Minister, .who had just been speaking or unemployment, said he was 1 Sorry the question of tlio entertainment of the Fleet has been raised in this connection. He was sorry,, indeed, that it had been raised at all.- Putting the matter on tlio mercenary basis of £.s.d.' lie found that the whole-cost of entertaining the fleet, not of a foreign country, but of a nation which was of our own kith and kin, of the Anglo-Saxon : race—(A voice: Nonsense I)—the. cost would M bj three-halfpence per head of our popula-, tion. (A voice:. That's too much!) It his friend who made that remark was Minister . T'o" Finance, lie would probably not hand out a single shilling for a railway, a road, or a ■bridge, but Would want to-keep it and look . at it. ■ (Laughter.) : THE LATEST CALCULATION. How'much were we going to get by enter- - tabling the fleet? Ho would not condescend ■ to ask how much we woro going to get from our visitors, biit how much was tlio Government going to receive from our own peopla fo.' the use of . our public services on account of the visit of the fleet. He had, only tlio day before, had a computation made which showed that lid. per head of our population-.. at the lowest estimate would be received. (A voice:, By Jove! you crfn manage figures a'l right!) He was simply giving. absolute facts from information in the possession of the Railway Department and the Government. Our public services would bring us back at least £30,000 through the visit of • the fleet. The pcoplo who talked about the cost.never considered this. . . ■ DUTY TO THE EMPIRE. If they_ were going into a discussion of the American laws'and our own, that was a different matter, but they could not ignore our position as part and parcel of the Bri- . tisli Empire. America was a great Power on friendly terms with the United Kingdom, ' with which' it was doing 50 millions sterling of trado every year. He did not believo < that tho great mass of our working peopla were so forgetful of their obligations as to supposo that when tlio American fleet was going to Tonga and Samoa, as at first an- ' nounced, and afterwards to Australia, that' it was for us to have said, that we did not want .it here. If wo had. said that, we should not have shown a proper recognition.. . of our duty to the'Empiro and to ourselves. (Applause.) ( ' ; . THE WHITE RACES AND THE PACIFIC. We and our children might not see it, but there would some day be a fight to decide whether the white races should continue to goverii Now Zealand, and other islands in the Pacific. If at 'that time wo •' could have* as .our . ally America, with her powerful fleet, we should be very glad to .. have them fighting shoulder to shoulder with'us, Yet when the Government felt it to bo its duty to do' what would bo done in America if New Zealanders went there in a warship, they unhappily found the cry raised that the small amount of money that was to bo spent would interfere ' with the employment of-the people. ' Tho Government had sufficient resource to do its duty in welcoming the fleet, and also to.do what . . was right in the way of employment for the people. (Applause.) 'VOLUNTEER REVIEW AT AUCKLAND. (Br TELEGEAriI—FItESS ASSOCIATION'.) Auckland,; July 20. The grand review of , volunteers and cadets during'tlio visit of the American fleet -promises to'be a'-conspicuous feature of the. . celebrations. It has now been definitely decided to hold the review in the Domain on August 10, at 3 p.m. It is considered that :. thero will be a'muster, of over 1 3000, includ- \ ing'tho public school cadets. : Of.this'-'num?-..' ber the mounted rifles will'form a section over 800 strong. "It'has been'decided tc bring in all the troops of tho district, together with their horso's; field guns, etc. . ' A deputation representing the No-Liconse . party waited on tlio Fleet Reception Executive to-day to protest against tlio proposal of the racing clubs to have a liquor boOth 1 'at '•' the fleet week race meeting. The Executive pointed out .that the arrangements'for the meeting were-in tho, hands of the .clubs'concerned, and outside the province of tho Executive. Tho'..deputation signifiod ..their ..intention of memorialising 'the Licensing ' Committee on tlio subject. The military : veterans outside the: Veto-, raiis' Association are'disappointed at the inaction of the Government with regard ,to . -, issuing'them frcd railway passes to att-end the fleet oelcbrations. Tho matter will probably be brought up in l Parliament.;