THE NAVY LEAGUE.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 23, 28 January 1904, Page 5

THE NAVY LEAGUE.

SOMETHING ABOUT ITS OBJECTS* Mr. Harold Fraz'er-Wyatt, Envoy ot the British Navy League, is at present in Wellington, his object being to awakem an interest in the people of this citjj in the League which he represents. As already announced, lie will address ai meeting of the Chamber of Commerce; and the general public on the subject ont Friday evening, and he hopes to so stimulate public opinion that a strong- branch of the League will be formed. A representative of the Evening Post had an interesting conversation with Mr. Frazer-Wyatt yesterday afternoon, and found him anxious to do all in his power to assist in the development of a movement which, ho evidently has very cforo at heart. The League, he stated, was founded in 1895, and was really the result of a series of articles by Mr. Spenoen Wilkinson published in tho Pall Mall Gazette and afterwards printed in pamphlet form under the title "Command of the Sea." Those articles demonstrated! the absolute necessity of some effort being made to render the Empire's naval policy continuous instead of spasmodic, and it was clearly shown by several writers that the 'history of naval administration since Waterloo up to tho later years of tho nineteenth century had been one of alternate neglect and panic expenditure. It appeared to many business men in London to be absolutely necessary to make somo effort to put matters upon a more business footing, and with that object an organisation was formed whose purpose was to fix public attention upon naval affairs. That organise tion was tho Navy League. Most people, said Mr. Frazer-Wyatt.. are willing to admit in a, general way tho importance to tho British Empire ol" "command of the sea," but the object; of the League is to bring home to people'n minds the fact that this mastery is tho supreme condition of national existence. Without it the British Empire must in war at once break up into its component! parts, and the most dreadful ruin and disaster must overtake most, if not all, of the British people. The League, hft continued, desired to show first that the existence of the forty millions .of British people living in the United Kingdom is fcubject to the necessity of retaining ocean mastery, and next, the degree in which iShoir need involves the* whole of tho rest of the Empire. The first point was proved by the fact that nofc only was by far the larger part of the foodsupply of the United Kingdom imported from oversea, but that in addition nur material, without which the industries of the country cannot be carried on, are also brought in from outside. If, therefore, the Imperial Navy should be defeated, not only would the population of the United Kingdom be at once afflicted with the most direful starvation, bufe they would at the same time be flung in their millions upon the streets through the cessation of their employment. If that should happen the Old Country would have to capitulate, on any terms which, the victorious enemy might think fit to impose. That would cer&inly ntean the end of the British Empire, jumS its different portions would suddenly fln<£ themselves flung upon their own resources in the face of a foe which had just beaten the Imperial Navy. It is difficult, Mr. Frazer-Wyatfc re* marked with emphasis, to conceive- * more dreadful position that New Zealand, for instance, would then occupy, and yet it is one which would follow practically immediately on the defeat ol our fleet in the Mediterranean o» tho Channel. Tho British uaivjj forces, such as they are— (and in tho opinion of tho Navy Leagu and of tho great school of naval thought which ib represents they are insufficient) — hay© ttf defend some ten million tons of merchant, shipping on 'tho sc* of the world. That commerce is the very life-blood of the Empire, and its stoppage, or any serious impediment to it, which ir/ist follow on the great riso in freights such as would result from a few captures, would be felt directly or indirectly by almost every family in overv part of the self-govern-ing colonies. , Another consideration which seemed of moment, continued Mr. Fraeer-Wyntt, was that the only possibility of carrying out the White Australia or White New Zealand policy depended upon the supremacy of the Imperial fleet. What, was tho unseen shield which protected the vast uninhabited areas of Australia from the busjt myriads in China? Nothing but the power of the sea — the strength of fho British Navy. The Navy League decired to raise the people, before it is too lnte, to a perception of the fact that th<> position of the Empire is challenged by mighty rivals, and that the factor upon whiih most depends is the powei to hold command of the sea. Somt people ia New Zealand whose opinion carried weight thought that New Zealand might do more thnn she had done, and in particular it" seemed n question whether the Royal Naval Reserve might not be established op a much larger scale than was contemplated under the Naval Agreement Act. If anything was 'to bo' done in, that direction it was clear thati

a t»?n- con(lit >»n was fcho foi motion of mnvl °P"" 0 » favourable to such a 2£ ' for without that impulse a Mnocrahc Government could hardly bo expected to act.