FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 21, 25 January 1936, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FEO3I "THE POST"

NAVAL DEFENCE

"It will be remembered that when a war with Russia recently appeared imminent the Government cabled to ..the Agent-General to submit a proposal to the Admiralty for the acquisition by this colony of a cruiser of the Esmeralda type, offering to pay interest on her cost and to provide for her maintenance," remarks "The Post" of-this date fifty years ago. "Several other of the Australian colonies also submitted somewhat similar proposals, but nothing definite came of any of the pffers. The Admiralty, however, has not lost sight of the subject, and Admiral Tryon has been placed in possession of its views,. and authorised to-place them before the several Australian . Governments. Yesterday he had an interview with the Premier, the Defence Minister, the Minister of Justice, and the Colonial Secretary. He explained the inconveniences which would arise from each colony maintaining one or more vessels of its own, but admitted the propriety of the colonies making suitable provision for naval defence. This, he thought, could best be done by all the colonies of Australasia uniting to provide for the permanent establishment of an Australasian squadron of five or seven vessels of different types, and including torpedo boats. This squadron, added to the ordinary number of vessels on the, station, and acting in con- . junction with them and und^r the same command, would be sufficient to protect all the colonies, and to repel any; force which could possibly be brought against them. The probability of the colonies being attacked in case of England being at war with any maritime power, Admiral Tryon, and those, he represents, evidently consider, a very serious one. The proposal of. the Admiralty was that a special loan should be raised under, Imperial guarantee to provide for building and equipping these vessels, and that the colonies should,' in proportion to'population, contribute to pay the interest and the cost of maintaining the.squadron. To New Zealand it was estimated -that the cost would be- from £22,000 to £25,000 a year. Ministers, .■while not expressing any decided opinion on the proposal, as it will have to be considered by the full Cabinet, seemed 'favourable to recommending' Parliament to make provision for providing New Zealand's share of the interest on cost and maintenance of the proposed squadron, but did not seem to favour the idea that the colonies should ■ become responsible for the first cost of the vessels, or that they ■should: be regarded as colonial pro■'perty, or on any other footing than .'as part of the ordinary naval force of the Empire." THE SAMOAN QUESTION. • "It will be seen from our cable news ■.that the American Government has acted promptly in dispatching a man--of-war to Samoa to insist, we may suppose, on the maintenance of the treaties to which America is a party, ■'■with Germany and England, for the maintenance of King Malietoa's power and independence. Although no answer has as yet been- received to.the .representations cabled Home a few idays" ago by his Excellency the Governor, it is scarcely likely that England will. be found less determined; Hhan America to insist upon ■ Germany respecting her treaty obligations in Samoa, and it is expected therefore that- an English man-of-war will be 'ordered to Apia to meet the American ;oiie.' The presence of two vessels of the kind would no doubt render the 'German Consul, although supported by.the Imperial ship Albatross, a good •deal less bounceable. The Samoan delegates had' an interview this, morning with the Premier, and it is understood that their .representations would ; come before the Cabinet this afternoon." • ANNIVERSARY DAY. v. "Yesterday, the 46th anniversary of the foundation of the colony, was celebrated as has been customary for many years past by. a regatta, sports, etc. A general holiday was observed, and a large number of people went out of town to spend the day in the country for at Island Bay. A strong northerly wind blew during the morning, mak;ing things rather unpleasant for the sailing races and enveloping the city in clouds of dust, but the breeze was very refreshing to the multitude of picnic parties and to those who attended the Druids' fete, tempering the fierce heat of the sun which otherwise would have been almost unbearable.. The railways and tramways were well patronised, the traffic on each being as follows:—Government railway, 2500; Manawatu railway, 2000; and tramways, 4976. The day passed off Without serious accident, the only mishaps of which We have heard being the capsizing of one of H.M.S. Nelson's boats and the ducking of the men, and a collision between the tram and an express whereby a • wheel of the latter was knocked off. There was an entire absence of rowdyism, and scarcely a case of drunkenness was observable." MOUNT COOK PRISON SITE. "The question of finally abandoning Mount Cook as a central prison and handing over the reserve to the municipal authorities will come before the Cabinet next month. It has been suggested that a site for another prison might-be obtained somewhere else in the neighbourhood of Wellington, but this is scarcely likely,.and Wellington will very probably have to relinquish the distinction of being made the centre to which all the worst criminals of the colony are to gravitate. We do not think the city will be inclined to regret the loss. A large prison is not a pleasant thing in any community. Its occupants would not-all be 'lifers,', and as sentences expired a good many of the prisoners would certainly be discharged in Wellington, where, no doubt, they would soon drift into crime again, while others would become chargeable on local charitable institutionq. Apart from the prisoners themselves, numbers of their friends and families would settle here and these people would form a by no means desirable addition .. to our population. It has been argued that Wellington would gain by having the prison built here, that trade would be stimulated. But gaols do a very large proportion of their own work and Wellington could very well do without any small profit, that might accrue from this direction. it some isolated position, altogether removed from any centre of population, and where, as in Portland, the prisoners could be employed in real hard labour of a useful kind, instead of in fiddling semi-domestic work (which it is a misnomer to term hard labour) such as alone is possible within the walls of a city gaol, could be found, it would be far better for the colony. As to the use to which the city could put Mount Cook if it became municipal property, we may point out that if not required for recreational purposes, space might be reserved for some public building and the remainder let on building lease for the erection of villa residences. There would be room for a couple of Xiice terraces, and the Corporation might derive a handsome income from fjha- waits."