THE DEFENCE OF BRITAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14648, 6 April 1911, Page 4

THE DEFENCE OF BRITAIN.

The defence of the United Kingdom is far from being a local matter. Every part of the Empire is profoundly concerned in the maintenance of the territorial inviolability of the Mother Country. The invasion and occupation of any outlying colony might be remedied by the success of the Imperial arms" in the gen'eral war. But the invasion and occupation of England itself would necessarily cause the collapse of Imperial resistance. Lord Haldane is as conscious of this as Lord Roberts himself, but many influences and considerations induce the Imperial Government to ' rely almost wholly upon the navy for Home defence. Whether the navy is adequate or not is a question hotly debated by British statesmen, > but none can deny that if naval defence were overpowered the military arm of the United Kingdom would be of doubtful value in resisting an invasion in force. Lord Roberts, in his patriotic efforts to arouse the United Kingdom to a sufficient sens© of the danger to accept universal service, has again raised /the issue in the House of Lords. / From the colonial point of view the most serious consideration is that the necessities of Home defence are - chaining the strongest naval force in the world to the North Sea, where it is re-. quired to keep watch and ward against German aggression. Germany believes that if this British fleet could be overpowered an invasion of .England would result in speedy and complete victory. Universal service in Britain, by confounding this belief, would probably do much to moderate German ambitions, and to induce i international disarmament. I. .