UNIVERSITY DEBATE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 479, 12 April 1909, Page 9

UNIVERSITY DEBATE.

WON BY VICTORIA COLLEGE,

SHE COLONIAL NAVIES DESIRABLE?

Tho Taplcy, spirit of tho university roso superior to" disappointment of tho weather on. Saturday, and exuberant undergraduates taade tho Town Hall Concert Chamber ring with war-wlioops, choruses, and merry Bailies, as a preludo to tho gravo business of tlio debating contest. Professor von Zedlitz, who presided, gave a good-natural toleranco to those excesses, which never intruded on tho How of oratory. For several of tho debaters thero was a something blighting to enthusiasm in tho "splendid isolation" of li platform, and they "spoko their pieco with a forced spirit which contrasted oddly with the easo and recklessness of their, fellowstudents. Tho subject, "That tho creation of Email navies for defonco purposes should bo Bticouraged in the self-governing States of tho Empire," gave a good scope for argument on either side, and tho speeches showed that the debaters had mado some study of the question. Tho general level of the oratory was a fairly high one ill the Etanoes, and it might have been difficult to 'docide between tho rival merits of Otago, Canterbury, and Victoria College representatives, if Mr. G. H. Gibb, of the .local eolltae, who was tho last speaker, had,,not erowncfl a good speech of his colleague (Mr: 1). - S. Smith) with quite tho freest and most ioreofnl delivery of tlio evening. - Tho judges— His Excellency the Governor, Mr. 1 'Justice Danniston, and ih\ J. Joynt,M.A. h-fd no 'hesitation in awarding tlio priKfr-for tho fourth year running to Victoria CWllegn, .and it would be hard to disagree :wltlr their'decision. Prodigious chcering "greeted"' the *ward. , Auckland,,v. Otago;' Tho contest' was divided.-,into two,,sections. In the first debate,': took the affirmative, and Auckland University College replied. In the-second debate, Canterbury Collego affirmed,,iahd Victoria Collego tlenied. " "-■f'V .. . '■■Mr. W. H. PeHit;introduced tho subject for Otago in a' spueclrivhich ( had tho average faults and merits of- cdiitost. His diclion and enunciation w.erp ; except for a (ew'small slips7"ind u ? little faltering about N Jio'middlo, hift'-Tiis 1 gestures were weak, and Jhoro was a lack of, energy and freedom. The 'idmitted possibility "'-of »fit sudden raid whuo .(ho British Hoot was. called away elsewhere, io argued, h'&essitnted-greater facilities for defence in the outlying countries of tlio Emhiro. To increase tho naval would, h tho long-run, only ease tho British taxpayer without giving protection to; colonial shores. In view <Sf tho short timo in w Inch - battleships bccamo obsolete, it was only necessary to provide for the reasonable probabilities of tho near future. According to I/ord Tiveedmouth, a small navy of tor]>e<lo boats, torpedo destroyers, and submarines Would bo an adequate defence for any of the lolf-governing colonies against any contingency likely to arise in the absence of tho Imperial squadron. Such small navies could bo provided without hardship, and their establishment- would provide naval bases for the Imperial fleet, and assist to develop a national spirit in the countries concerned. (Applause.) ■ Mr. Pettit's carefully-measured speech TV as too much like an exercise, and Mr. J. P. Kavanagh, who replied for .Auckland, went to the other extreme with a patter song. Ho gabbled his romarks much faster thaii Sir Joseph Ward ever spoke in his life, and though he was more at home than Mr. Pettit, and put a lot of spirit and some pretty figures into his oration, tho effect was lo'st in a rapidity of utterance which no time for absorption. Onco or twice the impetuous torrent was checked in a disconcerting manner, whilo the speaker iook in large draughts of inspiration from his notes, enabling him to start again with the old breathlessriess. ■ ''In peace a charge, in war a weak defence." was his opinion of Small navies. Two millions a year would be required to maintain five moderately-equip-ped and fairly-modern cruisers. The colonies were not sufficiently developed to support their own navies. On the analogy of English coast requirements, as laid down by Captain Mahon, there would be needed 1192 (destroyers and 174 D , submarines to defend 'Australians coast. But tliere is no analogy. The Russo-Japanose war had shown the uselessness of small local navies, such as the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. ■ .

Mr. J. L. R-ohinson, for Otago, combined the merits of delivery of the previous speeches—the dignity of the first and'freedom of the second. Ho also argued well, hut he looked as if he wore patting on the head n 6inall boy reaching to his knee, and could not loog beyond him. He did not object to increasing the burden of the colonial taxpayer. New Zealand had been helping the Navy till lately, to the extent of lOid. per capita per annum; Newfoundland, 3Jd.; Australia, Is. 3}d.; and tho British taxpayer, 15s. Tho cost of Australia's projected navy would he an insurance premium of a quarter per cent, towards tho defence of the Empire. It was agreed that there must bo >nity of control over the British and colsnial navies, and that the Admiralty must regarded as tho best strategic judge. The jolonies should got out of their long clothes in this matter of defence, and depend less on the_Mother Country. Mr. A. G. Marshall, who .replied for Auckland, suffered from a weak voice and no gestures. He nrged the impossibility of combination among colonial navies, and the probibility that a passing danger would cause lhe development of a local~navy beyond all juturo needs.

! Canterbury v. Victoria. Mr. H. H. Hanna (Canterbury College) | advocated the creation of small navies in a creditable speech. He quoted Lord Ellen- ' borough's approval of Australia's policy, and j argued that colonial navies would strengthen f the main navy by enabling it to concen- i trate in the Northern Hemisphere, the most 1 important danger zone. To have navies of ' their own would stimulate tho colonies, and 1 save them from the. lethargy, preceding de- j cay, which had overtaken every nation that | had paid others to undertake its defence, in- ] fctoad of -undertaking it itself. Mr. Hanna ( summed up his arguments effectively, his diction and enunciation wore good, and ho ' spoke with considerable force. Mr. D. S. Smith, replying for Victoria ' College, spoke much more easily and naturjlly than most of the competitors. Small tiavies, he declared, wcro 'useless for either gaining or regaining command of the sea, md, with the quick intelligence which wireless telegraphy gave, and the absence rf foreign coaling and refitting stations, no raiders could attack our coasts while the British Navy rode supreme. From the practical immunity of Port Arthur to bombardment, he argued that a raiding cruiser could not do much damago to our cities in any sase —but colonial towns are _ not Port Arthurs. To establish small navies in .'addition to the British Navy ivas to copy the philosopher who cut a hole in his door for the cat, and a small one for the kitten. Mr. Smith mado an effective conclusion. Mr. N. Gibson,, for Canterbury College, upheld the contrary view in a spcech of average merit. As regards the absence of foreign coaling stations, how many alarms, he asked, .had been caused in tho 1 .past by Germany's aggressive attitude not many thousand miles trom Now Zealand's doors? Mr. G. 11. Gibb (Victoria College) vigorously assailed the "vai;ue generalities" of opponent. If his side could j/iove that «ny one of the self-roverning States should jot havo a navy for dcfcnce purposes lie ilaimed that they should win their case. Local navies would be useless to both Canada ,ind South Africa. Canada- was exuosed to an overwhelming land attack, .which could inly be ropulst-d by a force sent from an oversea base, and the transmission of this force :tenen<k':l on the lines of communication being kept open, which would require a large and powerful squadron of cruisers. The only Canadian fleet which it was practicable to establish would be worse than useless. To attack South African ports, hostile raiders "would havo to elude several British squadrons, and then there were no' stations at which they could coal and refit. This fear of raiders was a great bogy. Tho building —v] year's upkeep of one effective naval unity would cost two and „a half million pounds, beside which Australia's £1,000,000,. not for one ship, but for a navy, was alj-g-inL'..Jar from with _ jkjjaeal

fleets would only hamper tho, movements of n British squadron by tlieif inferior coalcapacity and snood. Mr. Gibb delivered romarks with a lively vigour that was unusual nntl refreshing, and employed that dillicult weapon, sarcasm, without being unnatural or offensive. . . Tho judges retired' for a few lnlnut ®f> whilo a humorous "bassoon sons .""{jj' 1 , 0 audience in roars of ' laughter. r w r nd lency tho Governor, who was loudly cheered on coniin" forward to announce tho decision, Mid that the judges had been away so long only because they were enjoying the formanco. ' Their decision had been quite unanimous, and it was in favour 0 n ictona College. (Cheers and war-whoops.) His Excellency then presented the challeiiLO scroll to Unsuccessful representatives. r Previous Winners. Tho scroll, wliich was given by Mr. J. "W. Joynt, Registrar of tho University, has been previously won as follows*. 1902—-H. D. Bedford and E. Guthrie, .0.11. 1903 —A. B. Chappell and J. K. Cunningham, A. B. Chappell and J. B. Cunningham, C 'ino. r )-li. T. Burnard and J. B. Callan. O.U._ ■IMG—E. .T. Fitzgibbon and F. P. Kelly, A'a,. 11107—II. T. O'Lenry and B. E. Murphy, \ .0. 1908— J. Jlason »nd H. E. Evaus, \ .C.