THE QUESTION OF URGENCY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 526, 5 June 1909, Page 4

THE QUESTION OF URGENCY.

; On ■ Wednesday.■'.last we took , 'eomd space,,to'\makq plain_ boydrid'.misunderstanding'.this..f a,ct .that.fb^erft ; vital urgo'Udy..^hatevcr^iffv'the'.■.••jbsiii.on-, with regard, v ta. the ;Dcience v Conference. Od a inaßß of'indopendont. testimony, in the * shape ;'p'f : the correapondenbo betwobn the British-and : Australian-Governments,-to j support the conclusion \?hich we had da-'.' ducod : from a consideration,;of''.general J i principles. Owing,';.' However,''-' fa- the" neglect of tho press'in'other parts of : the, country; to: demonstrate., the 'of the plea of vital Imperial urgency as an excuse for postponing tho session, there are: still some niembors of Parliament who arc making' their attitude contingent on the characj«r. of the information which' the, PniME Minister—alone, apparently, amongst the Prime Ministers of the Empire—has ;in his- possession. Those members',who are really desirous of framing their. attitude accordr ing to the true requirements of the case, and not morely according to'the Government'- desires, will haVe little difficulty, when thoy. learn . the facts—which have not, so far as we know, had any publicity in the, press outside Wellington—in r'making up v their minds that there is no Im- V perialnend of any kind, whatever to require a postponement of Parliament's deliberations. . The talk. of urgoncy is ab-i I surd. .;' That any member should speak as if there was'something to ho. revealed which would changothofacebf,the wliolo situation is oxplainablo , only by- the theory that he: has;listened , 'to tho portentous talk of Ministers and their friends without thinking for Himself. ~,.,.'.'.'■!; showed On Wednesday $iat the public expressions of men like, Loud Charles Beresford dispose :'jbf.;th'o idea that there , iS,any perilj or any Urgency of a' special kind; in the naval position of.- the' Em: pire. Tho question of Imperial defence is urgent only ' in~ the sense that a big" Navy must, be built an'd that tho sooner the future is considered the better., At- : tention was also'called to'the fact that the question has not been, treatqd 'or spoken of as urgent in any of the other States of! the Empire. Sir ; Wilfrid, Laurier and Mr. Fisher aro as good Imperialists as any we have in this country, but their, behaviour gives the lie at every point, to',the suggestion that the British Government's dispatches. contain 'information of.so grs'vo a character as' that which tho New Zealand Government has allowed , the publio to believe is in its possession; l As a matter of fact, it js now j obvious, as we showed yesterday, , that;it was Canada's precipitancy : that forced the Home Government to call the Con-. feronce, so quickly. Canadk was sending delegates to; Britain on its own account. The' Some Government did, not wish to. make a special arrangement with Canada, and it could not put Canada off. It was forced, thoreforo, to call a'-'general conference in a hurry. : It may be rCmcmbered that the first'suggestion of'a Conference was, made by Mr. Asquith in the coursd of a'long speech in Glasgow on April 17, in which he dealt with the whole policy of his Government. Wo givo iu fnil his reforence to.tho colonies and the Navy: , -.'. : ■■...: N ' ...

Gout'emon, before I leave tho matter there is pno lesß controvercial and more pleasant aspect of it which Wβ shall all,bo glad to mean tho magnificent offers from the colonics. If their value could be enhanced they would bo by, the fino and goiioroua spirit with which these offers have been mado on tho part of our self-governing colonies. .Nothing could have been, I think, more, gracious, more tactful, or indicate a moro generous and patriotic conception of tho comuion obligations:of Empiro than tho -attitude that thoso colonies have taken to us in regard to this matter. I will only venture, speaking'for myself—l have not had an opportunity of consulting my colloagucß about it, therefore what I am saying is quite unofficial, it is quite:a personal surgestion. but I cannot help thinking that it might be possible, Mid if ooesiblo eminently

desirable, that we should bring together into consultation, if need bo into" formal conference, but at any rato into pommon consultation, thoEo great colonies and'the Mother Country, bo that .wo may not, inrogard to tins particular year alone, but with regard to the futuro in general, concert in the spirit which they havo. already 'so finely exhibited, end with tho common object which we all have in view to concert as,to bur respectivo shares in this great and interdependent work of tho navaj defonco of the Empire. , , ... . ... . . \ ~

Although this statesmanlike language supplies tho plainest possible-answer to the bowildorcd Parliamentarians who,, like Mr. Sidey, aro "keeping an open' mind" on tho matter of urgoncy, we fear tho. gamo of makc-believo will bo played for all it is worth at tho Prime,'Nnns^

TKr'B personal "Parliament" on and. we may, bo told that Mr.'AsQtrmi'B language concealed a most momentous set of ,facts.' "You could not expect him to ,use grave language in public, , ' it may be said; "you. must,read between the lines." »That would 'bo quito a clover thing to say were "it not that tho Naval Debate showed that tho British Govern-;

ment, when naval "defence is concerned, uses the gravest possible language when the situation domands it.. : What could bo -'. more grave.or.more ffiomentously.frank, ; for oxample, than ; Sib: Edwaed .Geeit's . ■.' speoch in that debate,! .A" reference fo :v , our issuo of May 12 will show that the-• British Foreign Minister did, not" even ■. ■;-.■ shrink*,from referring directly' and' in '■ detail to Germany as a possible antagonist of Britain, or from, balancing lip) the' weights'of the armamehte that ; would meet■: in the event: of .war.". Why \ then > should they, bo any less outspoken,-if ' there was anything momentous to tell in connection;with;the'.';:'Nayal Conference! . The members, ; of: Parliament who have ~ suspended judgment may as weir.m'ake up ;•■ their minds, at once. No argument for ; tho postponement of tho Parliamentary session can:bo.drawn from'the.Btato' of J : the Navy, the naval position, or, generally, from, any .Ijnporial, consideration i whatsoever. Whatcvor tho ■ pretext -on ' which tho adjournment of the session V '-. may;beasked' fort , the tr,uo/reason can- ' not bo,an Imporial one.v The V.vjtal ur'gency,' with.which tho Government • har. been making playdqesnot exist. ..