LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2016, 25 March 1914, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

EFFECTIVE NAVAL DEFENCE. Sir,—As Mr. Winston Churchill truly said in his recent speech: "Tho bond between Japan and Britain would mean tho effective protection of Australasia." As her financial difficulties increase, Japan's reliance upon the goodwill of Britain must necessarily become greater. The Navy League as a body has all along decried tho so-called "Yellow peril" as compared with tho reality of the bid for. sea-power now being made by Germany, and tho aggressiveness shown by our powerful and capable rivals in. tho North Sea.

■In view of the latest developments in Japan, Britons in Australasia should bo more reconciled to a concentration of our naval strength at the heart of the Empire, where our modern fighting craft are likely to bo of the most value in maintaining the general command of tho sea and keeping the-world's peace. The "Sydney Morning Herald" in Friday's cablegram criticises the Admiralty for believing "that a strong squadron at Gibraltar-is sufficient to protect tho Pacific," and the S.M.H. sagely rules "that squadron out- of existence so far as tho Pacific is concerned."

Tbo vast majority of naval and other experts would unhesitatingly condemn tho views of tho "Sydney Morning Horald." Sir Frederick Pollock, Bt., ouo Of the. greatest thinkers of the day and for many years Professor of National Jurisprudence; at Oxford, says in his Navy League Catechism:—"True defonce lies in prompt and vigorous attack on the enemy wherever ho may bo. . . , Thero is no local defence- at sea

. . . ships are_ ships and forts are forts, and there is no worso waste, in making a good ship do duty as a middling fort."

Our gift, battle-cruiser is of much greater value to us and to the Enipiro at large by being placed where she now is instead of. being retained in tho Pacific. For tho same reason wo should realise that to havo a modem cruiaer of tho Bristol typo in these waters would bo really a waste of money, when an effective training of our men and boys can be carried out in much less costly ships such as those now on this station. " -

And furthermore, thoro is no real reason why our local enthusiasm and sense of responsibility should in any way be impaired, as our local ships could remain part and parcel of the British Navy with all its'glorious traditions. Another point is the enormous cost of administration of local navies. Tho Australian Navy costs, I believe, nearly 70 per cent, more'than if run by the Imperial authorities. What \is re-quired-is really effective naval defence at a minimum of cost, and the British Navy "fills the bill."—l am, etc., CECIL PALMER, Hon. Sec. Wellington Branch of the Navy League. Wellington, March 21, 1914. THE FAILURE OF THE NELSON SYSTEM. Sir,—A special effort has been mado to persuade the Biblb in State Schools League to abandon the platform to which the Churches have agreed, 1 and to adopt tho Nelson system instead. The fact that the Churches, after ample experience of the Nelson-system had passed it by in favour of another proposal, should have been sufficient to intelligent people to show that it is somewhat late in the day to talk about the Nelson system as a permanent solution of the problem. . If the same people who are now talking so loudlv about it had .shown a disposition.-iiv-.thb-past to make it /general over New Zealand, it might ha,ve happened that tho Churches would not have. Jooked for tho undoubtedly'better system ■' produced by the league.. Much haa been heard in Wellington urging the Nelson,system, and indeed ono newspaper has consistently kept it before--the.-, public. Notwithstanding all- this, Wellington itself affords the latest proof of tho inadequacy and unworkableness-of the Nelson system. The Ministers'! Association of Wellington South humbly and respectfully solicited ill March the gracious permission of tho Nowtown State School Committe for ono miserable half-hour a week, from 9.t0 9.30 a.m., to give Bible lessons, which of course, under tho Nelson ,system, would -be regarded as undenominational. . Yet the School Committee quite turned flown this very modest application, and-lest tho mere, refusal might not be sufficient to crush the boldness of a Ministers' Association .which desired a privilege of addressing the children allowed to wandering lecturers, the chairman of th'o School Committee rushed into print and wrote "tho attitude of the Ministers' Association in their sudden desire to invade the schools during the hours set.apart for secular instruction." He continued, "I really question if they are in earnest, and also whether they are not really looking for a refusal," and proceeded with the question whether, "if permission was granted them . for Bible instruction during school hours; they would carry on the work for any length of time without expecting some remuneration from the btate for their services." '"■•'.

The refusal was quite enough to show that tho Nelson system is unworkable, but to that is added the insult by the chairman of the School Committee offered to the motives of the-.ministers and the reality of thoir request. Ho was replied to by the. chairman of the Ministers' Association (who.happens to be a Congrogationalist not in favour of tho leaguo's platform, and who, as a Congregationalist, would not bo likely to be o party to anything likely to make for State aid). Tho ministers' chairman showed by his letter that so far from intending to help the league, tho ministers "believed that by demonstrating the feasibility of the scheme in ono school, other schools would bo led to adopt it," i.e., the Nelson system. The demonstration has been not as tho Ministers' Association in all sincerity hoped, but entirely ono which shows that tho Nelson system is no national solution of tho problem of reaching every child in tho Dominion. Tho Churches which passed it by for the league's platform have to thank tho Newtown 'School Committee, and its chairman particularly, for another testimony that the matter is one to be' settled by the whole ■peoplo of New Zealand, and not Tiy a committeo temporarily in a littlo briefauthority.—l am, etc., FAIR PLAY.