DEFENCE OF EMPIRE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 17, 21 January 1913, Page 2

DEFENCE OF EMPIRE

THE TIMES ON LAURIER'S PROPOSALS NOT UNPOPULAR A CONFERENCE NEEDED. By Telegrapn.— Pre&s AEeociation.—Copj right. LONDON, 20tb January. The Timcß etates that Sir Wilfrid Laurier's naval proposals ar© / nob unpopular, and Canadians approve them as a eequel rather than as an alternative to Mr. Borden's immediate help. Doiibtless, Mr. Alien, the New Zealand Defence Minister, whose arrival in London will be'welcoiiifd, will approve of Mr. Fieher's desire lor a conference at Vancouver. Tho need for a conference has been greatly Teinforccd by the fact that all th« members of the last Defence Conference, except Australia, have tacitly departed from the principles then laid down. The Admiralty was rightly pfe-occu-pied with the immediate needs of the feituation, but it Would endanger* its reptt* tation in the Dominions if it,concentrated exclusively on ihe circumstances of tho moment, and on European affairs solely. The shortcomings of ■ Mr. Churchill's predecessor had compelled the Government to include the H M.S. New Zealand in the Navy'e European strength, but it wa« now obvious that a sixth ship must bo laid down to replace her. ME. BORDEN'S OFFER. (Received January 21, 12 30 p.m.) LONDON, 20th January. The Pall Mall Gazette says that if the Canadian ships are used similarly to the New Zealand it will not 'be difficult to blame the Canadian Liberals for oppoiing Mr. , Borden's offer, which is clearly an emergency one, and does not relieve the Imperial Government of a lot ' of responsibility. ) SOUTH AFRICAN tNTFfcESIS. • PEOPLE SHOtftil) NOT BE DIVIDED. JOHANNESBURG-, 20th" Jan. Sir Lionel Phillips, m a speech' ad the Unionist Club, said that while the interests of South, Africa should be put first in internal affairs, it was quite different to put them first in external affairs applying to the Empire. It was very serious treachery to raise such a question nowadays, and he did not believe it was Taised without the idea of dividing the people. MIRACLE OF THE EMPIRE , - MR. ALLEN'S PROBLEM. ' . (From Our Own Cdrresponderit.y"LONDON, 14th December. So much has been said about the making o£ "epochs" lately that it is difficult to ascertain- where an. epoch begins and where it ends. There lias .been a new .ebullition of enthusiasm in the press over Canada's naval programme-, but after the first few days tho leadet-writ-ers discovered. that this w/ia only part of the "epoch" which they said- New Zealand, ushered in, in 1909 M , There js, however,' one^vATy distinct difference' bptweeri * the , fehtlfywaem of 1912 and'that of 1009J $os% ft in Virtue •of that' difference tHal ' the Pjill ' Mall Gazette is able- to wi'ite'of what it call* "Th 6 Miracle of ther Empire," and to Suote the poet — "Liko "sonle tall palm ie noiseless fabric g/ew." "What distinguishes this present discussion of the' subject from that of loop is theontire"absehce of any disposition tt> criticise the form of oversea co-opera-tion. Three yeass ago, i\, will be remembered, there was rather an acrimonious discussion on the local navy v. contribution controversy. Now, that question might as Well be dead. It is certainly not dead in Canada, but, as The Times says, there ia very little 'difference* in spirit between Mr. Bdrden" and Sir Wilfrid Latirief ; and the actual form upon which the Canadian Parliament decides U no concern, of the Old Country's. The announcement that a Canadian Minister resident in London will attend the meetings of the Committee -of Imperial Defence created quite a sensation. Replying to a question on the subject, Mr. Asquith said i-^"The proposal that one or more representatives of the Dominions should be invited to attend the meetings bf' the Committee of Imperial Defence was put forward last year by His Majesty'B Government in the proceedings connected with the Imperial Conference, alict was accepted as desirable in principle by all the Prime Ministers." A FLY IN THE AMBER. Mr. T. Gibson , Bowles , has raised a voice of anxiety lest we are going too faßt. Quoting Mr.- Bordeu, that "no important step in foreign policy would be undertaken without consultation with such representative of Canada," and that this is to be "pending a final solution of the question of Voice and influence" of Canada in thd councils of England, he feels some, uneasiness* lest mote should be granted in the • future,, and adds :— "This is all -very unexpected) and very, very, new. What does it- all mean ? Is Canada to have a veto on the war plans elaborated by our Defence Committee? Is she also to have a veto on every important step v/e propose to take . in. .foreign policy? Is she alone to have such', vetoes, and are Australia, • the Cape, New Zealand, and India to be left out of representation and consultation as well as out of the veto, if any"? 'And 1 is our own Parliament to have any share in the right to previous consultation ' now granted to Canada?" The Times ' steps " in to correct this impression, saVing obvious consideration has no Relevance whatever to the further question of the limits of Ministerial , liberty arid the nature of Parliamentary control over defence or policy or both. The Committee 'of Defence can commit the country or the Empire to nothing. It has neither responsibility nor power. It is purely a consultative body, and its character will not •be altered by the appointment of a Canadian Minister." The .Times continues to hammer away with the demand for a wider naval policy altogether, and especially for j a square understanding with Australasia, which it feels has been badly treated over the withdrawal of British naval power from the Pacific. ■ It insists :— "We must have a European standard and an extraEuropean standard- The strength of these must be absolutely distinct, and it is only in the latter that we must count Dominion ships. The security of British interests in Europe is our own affair. Even if it were ' certain that the New Zealand Government may not prefer to have its ship in the Pacific, it would still be a dangerous and' indefensible thing that Great Britain should depehd Upon a distant Dominion to make up the naval strength required in Her own seas. The New Zealand ship must be free to go and come as the Government- which built her debires. Any other position would be intolerable. How is she to be freed?" k Ml this 1 forms jeart g| the y.ei£ intri»

cate problem which Mr. Allen has to discuss with the Imperial Government. NO HINT TO MALAY STATES. Mr. Harcourt denies indignantly that an official hint was thrown out to the Federated Malay States, prompting them to offer a Dreadnought. He says :— "I have seen it hinted that this gift may have been pressed or suggested fiom Home; I should like to take this opportunity of emphatically denying the statement. The gift came to me with us much surprise as it did to the public. It appears that the whole council-— rulers, officials, and non-officials — were unanimous in their desire and resolution to take this step, and from first to la&t, no member of the British Government has taken any share in its promotion." SOUTH AFRICAN TROUBLE. General Hertzog, Minister of Justice, says that South Africans were always prepared to fulfil their obligations to protect their interests, but because the Malay Stales had given a Dreadnought it was ridiculous to say that South Africa must also give one. Nevertheless, he predicted that when the time came South Africa would be ready to do its share in protecting its own interests in the first place and the Empire's in the second. General Botha : "There is no need for nervousness regarding the naval question in South Africa. It will be put .right spon, but is allied with many other questions. Opinion in South Africa is divided whether to continue the contribution to give Dreadnoughts or to have our own navy. It would be foolish to make a party question of the navy. My col lea sues, recognise their responsibility to undertake the naval defence of South Africa as they had done with the defence of the country on land."