THE AMERICAN FLEET.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 258, 24 July 1908, Page 6

THE AMERICAN FLEET.

Some very foolish things have been • written and said lately concerning the visit of the American licet to this country. Most people probably regard tho visit in the proper light, as an important act of international courtesy by a friendly Power,' calling for an equal courtesy on the part of New Zealand. There are, unfortunately, some people, occupying prominent positions, to whom tho visit of the fleet appears to bo regarded as an excellent opportunity for saying unwise things. Thero is Mr. Wilfobd, for instance, whoso quite proper objection to " unseemly hysteria " and a general and expensive losing of heads over the visitors led him into some unnecessarily bitter rollcctions upon the American nation. We agree with JMe. Wilford that the people and the Government of this country must resist tho temptation to "make fools of themselves," but dignity and a calm courtesy can be achieved otherwise than by coldness and hostility. The visitors are our guests, and they are not only representatives of a friendly Power, but members of a nation that has a real kinship with the British people. No doubt his acerbity was a natural enough revulsion against the unbalanced " gush " that! lias' been provoked by tho visit. - .

At the, other extreme is Sir Joseph Ward. As an optimist and a financier, it was' inevitable that he should remind the public that the entertainment of tho fleet will only,coat the ( JMew "Zealand population lid. per head; as Minister of Finance, with an eye on the revenue, itwas equally natural that he should havo " had a computation mado" which showod that the Government would receive'lid. per head by way of, revenue as a direct result of the visit. But our complaint is not against the Prime Minister's rathor startling and embarrassing assessment of tho visit in £. s. d., or even against his suggestion that we should be .polite for reasons of trade. What does strike us as injudicious in his speech on Monday night was his reference to tho value to us of America in some future light for the Pacific. No doubt we shall "be very glad to . have them fighting shoulder to shoulder with us," but what need is there for any reference to lighting? - There is already in Australasia a small section which openly regards America as the true protector of tho white peoples at this end of the world, and it was undesirable, therefore, as liable to ,misinterpretation, that Sir Joseph "Ward should have laid stress on the fighting value of our American friends. Dn. Arthur, a well-known politician! in New South Wales, rccontly wrote to The Times complaining of " tho withdrawal of tho British warships from the Pacific when a Japanese invasion seomed imminent,"■ and he added that it was " no wonder that Australians hailed America as thoir possible supporter in the hour of trial." The Prime Minister should have been most careful to avoid saying anything which might be construed int6 a toleration of tho idea' that America is more to us than any other Power. Although New Zealand as a whole is spund. in its Imperial faith, there is nevertheless a tendency in some quarters to belittle " poor old Johri Bull." THat Sir. Joseph Ward is a sound Imperialist nobody will doubt. He seems; however, not quite perfectly to realise the importance of weighing every word in his public utterances, as we noted in connection with his recent references to tte fiscal question. It is Because he is.so good an Imperialist that we regret eyen tho faint countenance that his allusions to the 'fleet may be assumed to: give to the very noxious' idea promulgated by Dr. Arthur. The correct attitude for this country was well put by Mr. W. Eraser,'M.P., in the House the other night. " ought not," he said, "to grovel before our visitors, and say that John Bull vas too old and feeble to help us, and thit we must look to them to protect us jagainst tho- yellow peoples. He hopodj none of those ; grovelling speeches'wiuld be mado at Auckland. The House! should'intimate that it did not want iny.thing' of that, kind. We should welmmo them gladly as the representatives <f a nation millions of whose people werij of tho samo raco as ourselves, but beyond that ho did not- think anything c'lso should be said."