PERSONALITIES & IRRELEVAN

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 58, 6 September 1909, Page 6

PERSONALITIES & IRRELEVAN-

The controversy between the Leader of the Opposition and the Acting-Minis-ter for Defence, which originated in the former's criticism of the proposals of tha Imperial Defence Conference, might have been valuable if it had been confined to the very important issues raised by those proposals. Unfortunately, how ever, both disputants have diverged into personalities which are neither relevant nor interesting. The Minister's pardon able little joke about the development of Mr. Massey's German sympathies has cost both parties dear. Some persons are physically incapable of seeing a joke, and others who are not so deficient sometimes shut their eyes to the humour of a thing which it may pay to seem to take seriously. It is difficult to understand how anybody outside these two classes could suppose that Mr. Fowlds really believed, hv desired anybody to suppose that he believed, Mr. Massey was taking his views on Imperial policy from the Wilhelmstrasse, or accommodating them by any other process to what he considered to be German interests. Bift whatever the motive or the reason, the charge was seriously taken by the Leader of the Opposition and some of his supporters, and as a solemn repudiation was Jiot sufficient for so heinous an imputation, counter-charges had, of course, to be preferred. The inevitable rejoinder further enlarged the area of personalities, with the result that the interests of the Empire must be ignored until a public which is genuinely anxious for enlightenment on the points Mr. Massey originally set out to expound has firot decided whether he or his antagonist is the better patriot or the more deserving of the contempt of all good men. As the public is satisfied that they .are both patriots, it would much prefer not to see its good opinion of either impaired by his attempt to injure the reputation of the other. Is New Zealand to continue its present state of dependence upon the Mother Country for naval protection to ■which a paltry cash payment is its only contribution? Or is it to be content to see its part of the South Pacific included for the purposes of Imperial defence in the China Sea ? Or is it to work in with •the bold scheme under which Australia aspires to y an Australian navy ? Or is it to play a still bolder part and lay the nucleus of a navy of its own? These are questions of the most fateful im•portance, upon the right answers to which the future of this country depends. At the present stage of our development a man may prefer any of the four alternatives without prejudice of his patriotism, nor will his fellow■colonists deem his competence 1 to pronounce an opinion affected by his views on the propriety of the House of Representatives sending its congratulations to ulr. Chamberlain on his retirement from office six years ago, or about the attitude which New Zealand should have adopted at a still earlier date to the question of Australian federation. In the main, •we dissent from what seems to us the rather captious criticism passed by Mr. Massey upon the work of the Defence Conference, but his regret that come arrangement had not been made whereby New Zealand might co-operate with Australia in the work of naval defence is i not to be scouted as of a piece with his regrets for her failure to merge in the Common.wealth ten years ago. Six ! months ago few New Zealanders regarded suoh an idea as either desirable or practicable, but if Canada takes charge of the Eastern Pacific and Australia of most of the 'Southern Pacific, New Zealand cannot long remain in the association with the China unit of the Pacific Meet, which has been assigned to her by the conference. On the other hand, the aissent of Mr." Fowlds from the resolution of sympathy with Mr. Chamberlain which was freely exploited in the Old Country for party purposes, indicates an independence and a courage which rather enhance nis right to a respectful hearing on any political question than otherwise.