NAVY IN THE PACIFIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1589, 5 November 1912, Page 7

NAVY IN THE PACIFIC.

I , •: r. .if:. ,1 | ANOTHER CONFERENCE MOOTOD.

MEETING IN CANADA. V J

v"' "■"■'J;;-.1-. - By Teissrasfr-'EresS'AijßocUtio4- : K?opyrti:lii ! ,i $; Ottawa, Isovcmbor 3. ■ i In'tlip -event of Sir. Winston Churchill/''; . ■! First Ixir4"df-tto Admiraky, acMßtiag-the ' .. . . i Canadian Government's':in>rftation\to. visit;;-.';. j .Canada, -it is expected that ho will pro- ' j ■ceed. west to Vancouver and 'Esquhnalt.' • i . Whilo Mr. Churchill is &.Canada.-, the . .. . j opportunity inII possibly be taken.to hold ", - ! a naval conference—to which Australian 5 and New Zealand delegates; will bo/^pyitedi-j?.'■: 1 —to discus? the co-ordination of tlie vari- : : : .-! OU3 units in the defence of British inter- . I ests in tho Pacific Ocean. . ; Naval., circles hope , that this will pi*> .' -J : . parb tho way for more frequent naval ! cousultatipns,' and:also adYanco :i the deairo' ; ■ i 9.? MvFisjkri/Austraiian j that cbnfcrcjices sbQuid : ;W:j«ld : at'-'^rT^^--..>. : j . l'riYervals. ■ ( THE CHANGE SINCE 1909. , A STILL-BORN SCHEME. j j. The changed circumstances' sincc tl€ ' ••' '■ •■"'l 'rvaval ;De'feiiciy ; Cphferen'co :of l9o9.Vliav«'''V. • -.' J been the siißj'ect .of. ''much;',di,wii«sion'in*' ■ tits press-of 1 .. : Loiidon. ■.''Daily'' ■■ -H telegraph," in referring to tho matlei -.'i ' recently, said:— ,- :j / .>.5 A reiiiaiXablo development-has-occurred ■■ 1 ?r' l scc l u to' thc agreement between .the, - ' i . Mother .Country, tlio-Australian-Common* ■ ; , wealth,..ai}d Now. Zealand, which was ar- ■'< ranged at tho Defence Conference tlufco • known, will Dot bectu-ried out. . 1 '-.j It was'proposcd to cren'te a Pacific Fleet '■■! consisting 0f... three units:,.(a) tho East" I .. 'Indies-Sjittadrori;^^'Mother-; '.. ~ ■ ,j ■ -Country ; (b) the China -Squadron, 1 pro-' ? '- vided jointly by tho Mother Country. -j New Zealand; and : '(c) tho Australian 'i Squadron, provided by tho - Common- ■■ .wealth.. .and;-.■admihisterod--, and '.'controlled;#-' . { in peace time bv " tho Cpmiuonwealthi- 1 ' ] I'his fleet was to havo included, three ' battle-cruisers" of an.. improved Indoiuit- ;; ; -.' ■ > able typo, nine protected criiircrs of.the .' ! "Bristol class; eighteen destroyers,. - and -j three submarines, and ;■ would, have'..in-.' .. ... 'I ■ volved,- an annual charge of .£1,930,0C0.. - - . -i .-.Since:this agi-eemont wasimadoißritieh!'' ' naval policy'has-beehpowerfully' affected' : \i ; by two events.. First, .tho Allianoo with..: ■ . Japan has been renewed for ten years, . assuriugftho'iseciirity, of .British interests-.' •! in the Far East and tho Pacific; 'and- j secondly, the pressure of naval arms- V ;j raents'in Europe has -unexpectedly ia-- v -;. ,1 -. creased In tho now circumstances; tho New-:'' : Zealand Government, in a spirit of devo- : tion to tho Imperial idea. agreetl that the ... ■ battle-cruiser New Zealand, built to their •{ order, shall return, to European'waters ■' ! after tv'.short..visit ;fe ;New-.Zealand,pprt3;;'-.''. -.: . ;■■■' ] At the. ■ same.' time; tho Admiralty -.. havo. - 1 ■■ ■ j ,'determihed{. ;that .?.at. ;-preseiit a;ibattl»-' ; , , ~ ' ; cruiser is not required and cannot, safe- ■. .. . ! ly bo spared to act as flagship to tho East Indies'Sq'uadron,';.;-Tho.-naval situa-.--. tion in tho Pacific, ' where no J peril ■ ■ i threatens Uritish interests, has bottn sul>- . .■; : ordinated by recent events to tho new -'.-j naval situation .in , Northern ... EuropanJ ■ waters, arid the agreement; of, 1903 will ' .' not consequently bo carried out, : y'y'";'.This leaves the; Commonwealth ' witK), - the fleotunit built' -under;that , agreement. j. ; - I It must 1» admitted tlmt, while thesei. snips may be regardo<l with prido by thai peoples of the' Commonwealth, thoy can) have no immediate warlike purpose m th<i ; 1 Pacific, -.where - ,thovßritish.,Nayy y is •buJ ;'-: : preiiie, in contrast .with "the .forces ojf anjl.; '.two European Powers, ; Tlijo vessels .- ar<? being '-built.' at the cost of tho.-Austra« .. ;. ! liansk and;-tho quesHoii'-. arises 1 whether tlia Commonwealth' Govornmerit will follovr ■the : example ■of Imperial. , patriotism set ■ by'tho- neiglilwuririK Dominion, arid per-. ; i. nii't'their Mttle-cruiser,-,at.least,. to-servo ; in Europe w - ith! tho Eoyal Navy,, thus re- ; yertirig 'to;-their origins spontaiieouß offer . : of the spring of 1909, or whetlier they will . 6tand by tlio letter of; the v lohd, although the.cbiiditioris on which agreement of ; - three yearj ajjo was based have chanced. Tho issue is complicated, by. tho fact . . that, owing to the necessary expansion of .' ' i.'-' i the British squadrons and flotillas in. tho ! North Sea -and English . .Channelj. -tho., Admiralty may -not. bo in a position to spare 'crows' for theso .Australian -vessels,. 'if thoy are to.bo withdrawn trom, Europe,, ... j (ind without the nid sfithe Britisli naval authorities; certainly the battle-cruiser, requiring nearly 1000 offioer9 and men, 1 . : ; could bo manned. The"Britieh Fleet is. already. suffering from■ a serious ehortw. . .- . ago of personnel. The- development 1 becomes ono. of poouf liar interest and importance if,, as ls .'iw ported, tho Dominion of Canada is,prw.-j pnred to build two .tattle-cruisers as a ■ contribution to the Metropolitan Plecta of ■ .'; the Empire. ■