THE NAVAL SITUATION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 139, 10 June 1909, Page 5

THE NAVAL SITUATION.

LOBD ROSEBERY'S RIMAJRKS . ENDORSED. ;^ ENEEi a & 4IJNITED ! AUSTRALIA^ BANGER. ; -'■ (PBESS ASSOCIATIOH.] ! (Received Jufce 9, 10.20 p.m.) X LONDON, June % Mr McKeiiSfe, First Lord ©if tffce "Admiralty, vthn presided at .yesterday's meeting, said: "The disle#ties of a growing Navy require the of the Empire's strength. So Jong as wo keep the highways 'epaa the difficulties of mutual deferase swse lessened. Naval defence in the Imperial aspect COVERS THE GLOBE.

We have no less responsibility m one part of the Empara fthan in another. In the development of the Navy ' ideas should come from tne Dominions. England cannot force strategic ideas upon the Dominions. If any asked for the Admiralty.s views there-would foe a ready answer, but the Dominions would have their own views and methods. Lessons taught by others :*iot have the same effect as €iose learnt by themselves. The main problem of defence was the same {for till. The maintenance of the supremacy of the sea would mean tlie maintenance of SUPREMACY -ON ALL THE ' ;SEAS. Mr Mc&snna- urged that the Navy should b& aibove iparty. He hoped that when 'Ike -time came the press would sacrifice professional interests to regar&jgssecrets necessary in warfare.,.." I-,.! Sir E'&watd ■ Grey opened with the following (description of the country s foreign : "Keep what we havej consolidate arid ■ develop it, quarrel as little with people, and uphold iin tthe world's councils and diplomacy the ideals; England values." /-Among .the characteristics itf tlie (Empire, he said, was a sense •of jußtiee. This was dominated by hatred oof pretence and the frank recogriiiiontthat all settlements must be in :£h€..:nature of compromise. He deprecated the idea of the Home Government's being prone to make compromises where the Colonies' intereats "were affected. :

WAS ESSENTIAL to ceveTy:;great Empire. If it exacted *Tie extreme need in every case :tjb.e would become impossible. Nevertheless we must keep •what we! have, but be moderate in "enforcing-! our claims, or there would ■be ho rf air Toom for others in the -world. Referring by way of emphases ■ana 'in a serious tone to Lord RoseHbery^s mention of armaments, Sir lEdward Grey remarked:

<1 ENDORSE EVERY WORD I/orfl -Rosebery said on Saturday," ;anS ;added : "We are enjoying comjparatiyeiyccalm weather, but excesisive expenditure on armaments makesUhe-weather sultry. The serir tousness of. "the question cannot be (overrated. We have too much, ;at stake' id-permit the Navy to fall be Mnfl, whatever the burden. You ■have shown how great are our resources. '.We are all travelling towards the'idea of union. Let it be 'onr ceitdeavour to uphold the great Qualities, of national character and labour to make the Government honest iß&dlhe Empire honourable." MrWatd (Sydney) said that it was a, flash.>6f-genius which inspired the aSea of ; the conference, . which was (destined tto exercise a beneficial influence t throughout the Empire. No question was so important to the Empice astthat of naval defence. The MBtoFy:of Australia showed the value <dft TBfitaiai's command of the sea. Doubtless geographical position had someiihin^; to Vdo with Australia's security -/during the past hundred years,'=hnt the advances of modern science, . .saixnihilating distances, brought 'distinctly

WITHIN THE.DANGER-ZONE. Australia, -with a small population, was a.great empty Continent which. would r be a whole empire to some na€a?ns, .anjlcdffered terrible temptation, and when, there was cdanger on the seas A.Tis.tr.alians would be right in it. It was a»matter of life and death. It was moifc _a, question of some possible raid «m shores, but of

KEEi^fG OPEN THE" TRADE ROUTES.

Take ttese;,away and .destroy British supremacy, on the seas, and.to what advantage would Australia,shear her ' slieep or jguard her gold? jßeferring to the detbate on the Naval' Estimates on fhe If-fih :March, Mr Ward said that Mr l&etEenna's and MrJAsquith's speeches fell like fire on tinder. He added that <on the realisation of the position in which Australia 'gtood the offer of a "Dreadnought" was -a natural secpel. Mr MclCenna had that day sta&ed that the i^miiolty was ready with its answer, and would give it if asked, regarding the policy of comojon -defence of Iftie IEEm- j pire. He trusted that the Australian representatives tto the July CSoiifeFence would -ask it. (Applaaisev) What would be #he use for Australia to provide a cTiU*iser if the Imperiall Government mnsft go on protecting New Zealand, wfe'ich was still furi/hesr away, and Fiji, which was in $he . neighbourhood of tFrench and Genrnm possessions? It -was the duty of every one of the oatlying portions of the Empire to assist in maintaining: -the supremacy of tibe.<seas. Sir Hugh ; (Graham had made mv. incidental remark on Saturday to Jthe effect that <the Imperial Government had heen/a 'little too indulgent to the Colonies £n -this matter. Mr Ward added : '"We, are quite willing 4o take the of the MotHe^lttnd's responsible »aval authorities regarding what is tffae best policy, for we want the best, ft&d will do our fair share of dairying it out." (Cheers.^ pbis <sromer, in a short speech, flauf "'fc'hait ihe> was convinced <tf -ihe unwisdom <tf encouraging respaacular pressmen te undertake POLITICAL MARTYRBOM, remembering ihat their suffes^ags were not acute. He hoped that scone .of the Indian -delegates would 4ell ■Jbhe Conference wjhether there was «?»^ <connection between the wild writings j(A certain vernacular newspapers an 4 the commission of outrages which shocked the moral ©ense of the, countey. Referring to ihe necessity, for editors .firmly handling difficult. >ituatioas ; he said that thongh he did Hot pretend to agree with all the viesys-of the late Mr David Syme be

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could not withhold admiration for his courage* , i i Mr Bdfcfeitgee said that he had no 'hesitation in declaring that the vernacular Jjiress had NO SYMPATHY WITH OUTRAGES. H« Relieved that under Viscount Morley's rule India would experience & .great improvement. . Mr Alfred Lyttelton said that he Was delighted to hear Sir Edward &rey- endorse Lord Rosebery's utterances. He suggested that Colonial contributions, should not be an an-, nual grant, but I MONEY TO BUILD A SHIP and make a nucleus for the efforts and aspirations of the future, ending ultimately in the ship's being manned by citizens of the donor Colony and named after the latter 2 her officers having facilities for rising to the highest posts in the Navy.