HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 143, 15 June 1909, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THE DOMINION'S GIFT

On the House resuming at 2.30

Mr HERRIES continued .his speech. He held that the .relationship between the Mother Country, and the Colonies would have to be revised. The Colonies should be the allies of Britain, and not her dependencies. Mr FRASER approved the Government's offer in the circumstances without convening Parliament. Mr REID supported the motion. Mr PHILLIPS (Waiteniata), while approving the offer, said that the Government failed to give the country a lead in domestic defence. Mr THOMPSON (Wallace) believed that the time would come when bntain and Germany would try conclusions for naval supremacy. Mr SIDEY was in favour of a united Imperial Navy as opposed to Mr Herries's suggestion of a local navy. . , ~ Mr GUTHRIE (Oroua), while supporting the offer, protested against the unconstitutional manner in which the offer was made. Mr WRIGHT (Newtown) said tnat no reason had yet been given for the offer of a "Dreadnought" in an unconstitutional way. There-was no emergency at the time the offer was Mr.JENNINGS supported the mo10The Hon. Mr NGATA said that the Opposition had given a grudging support to the Government's oiter or a "Dreadnought," The argument that the offer was made unconstitutionally was a mere quibble, Mr ALLEN said that the tone of the debate had been high,, and had shown that Members were all in sympathy with the Empire. The moral effects of the offer would have been tenfold greater had Parliament been called together to discuss the situation. The time had come for New Zealand to consider her destiny. _ He was not content to remain a "Little New Zeaiander." We were forgetting our responsibilities in regard to the islands of the Pacific and the Commonwealth. He agreed with Mr Herries that we could provide a navy to protect our interests in the Pacific. We should join hands with Australia in creating a fleet for defence. For £400,000 a year we could provide efficient defences, both naval and military, to replace the present inefficient system. The House rose at 5.30 p.m.