IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 9187, Issue XLI, 11 April 1910, Page 3

IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

BY MEANS OF IMPORT DUTIES

(By Electeic Teleoeaph—Copyright.) (Peu Ijhesb1 j hesb association..'

LONDON,

April 9

The lit. Hon. Mr Haldane, addressing the Royal Economic Society, drew sympathetic attention to Professor Joseph Shield Nicholson's contributions on the cjitestion of the defence of the Empire wherein was sketched a system of defence by medium of contributions collected by import duties levied On a common "scale throughout the Empire. Mr Haldane added it would be through the intelligence and ■'will of. the Empire as a. whole that the perplexing question of defence contributions would be solved.- It was not right that taxation for naval and military purposes should be enormously greater per head in Great Britain than in the colonies. The reason, he continued, was that Great Britain had to maintain a force which went overseas wherever the Empire was aseaiigd.- The burden should in course of t«ne. be more evenly borne. When, he sai<-T, <the Prime Ministers at the last two Imperial Conferences avoided abstract views and saw a real living purpose ~ the difficulties which seemed almost insuperable vanished like magic. This might be the case in regard to the larger questions which Mr Nicholson had discussed. Perhaps the Navy might have an Imperial General Staff'before long.