NAVAL DEFENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15659, 13 July 1914, Page 8

NAVAL DEFENCE.

PROSPECTS OF CONFERENCE.

MAY BE HELD NEXT YEAR.

AUSTRALIA'S POSITION. [FROM OUR OWN COR&ESPONTjENT.] Sidney, July 8. There is reason to believe that a better understanding will soon be arrived sit between o ; reat Britain and the Oversea* Dominions with regard to naval defence, and that the parts Australia, New Zealand, and Canada are to play will be more satisfactorily ■defined. The Sydney Morning Herald says that, provided there is a Liberal majority in the Federal Parliament after the approach- ; ing elections, it is practically certain that the Prime Minister (Mr. Cook) and the Minister for Defence (Senator Millen) will go to England next year with a view especially to having every phase of the position considered. In any circumstances, a meeting of the Imperial Conference will take place during 1915, and it is already stated with authority that opportunities will bo taken advantage of to go somewhat extensively into defence matters. Senator Millen does not agreo with the i First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. Winston Churchill) that all capital ships like the Australia and New Zealand should be concentrated in Home waters, nor does he admit that Great Britain carried out her part in the bargain of 1909, although no intimation of an intention to depart from it was at any time communicated to Australia, It is hoped that the coming conference will tend to promote a settlement, and to focus many views, which, at a distance, seem to be quite discordant. Committee of 'Defonce.

Official copies of the correspondence which has passed from time to time between the Imperial authorities and the Overseas Dominions since 1912 have now been made available to the Australian Defence Department, .and the communications ; throw interesting sidelights on the situation, which has hitherto been clouded with doubts. The points have been summarised in London as follows, so that the position may be quickly seized :—The Secretary of State for the Colonies on December 10, 1912, addressed a despatch to the Governments of all the Dominions, in which he declared that the Imperial Government would welcome more continuous representation of Dominion Ministers, if they wish it, upon the Committee of Imperial Defence, and asked whether the Dominions desired to adopt such method of more continuous connection in naval and military affairs with the Committee of Imperial Defence in the United Kingdom, Continuing, the Herald points out that the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Borden, in introducing his Naval Bill into the Dominion Parliament mentioned, with approval, the idea that the Canadian Minister should be in London during the whole or portion of the year, being regularly summoned to all meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence, and regarded as one of its permanent members. The reply of the South African Government was given in a minute signed by General Botha, who said that he and his colleagues had noticed with pleasure that no new departure in constitutional practice was intended. "The South African Government," he said "doubt whether the idea of a Minister of the Union residing in London for the purpose of constantly representing the Union Government on the Imperial Defence Committee is practicable, so long as control of the foreign policy remains as under present conditions." Mr. Harcourt's Despatches.

Tho Commonwealth Ministry— Fisher's—replied by cable message, on December 19, 1912, to Mr. Lewis Harcourt's despatch, saying that it would be impossible for any Commonwealth Minister to visit Great Britain during 1913. They suggested, however, that a subsidiary conference on naval defence ehould be held in August, January, or February, 1913. The message continued: "If this is not practicable, Ministers would bo prepared to attend a conference in New Zealand, South Africa, or Vancouver, Canada." The general election for the Federal Parliament took place on May 31, 1913, and on August 15 the new Cook Ministry cabled to Mr. Harcourt that they wire considering the naval defence situation, especially in connection with the 1909 agreement. They expressed anxiety to know exactly the intentions of His Majesty's Government in this respect, and said that they were willing to arrange for representation at a conference should His Majesty's Government consider this necessary. There was apparently no reply to this message, but on November 21. 1913, Mr. Har'court wrote asking why the Australian Prime ,Minister, Mr. Cook, had told Parliament that he had. asked the Imperial Government to convene a conference of Dominion representatives, as no such reauert could bo traced. The Commonwealth Ministry answered by cable, on February 9, 1914, that tliev regarded their telegram of August 15 36 a request for a conference. After a considerable interval, Mr. Harcourt sent a message on March 13, 1914, to Australia and New Zealand, asking whether they desired a conference. The New Zealand Government replied that "New Zealand desires a conference, but unless time and place are convenient, representation cannot be adequate." The Cook Ministry reiterated its desire for a conference, but said that, "in view of the earlv lectins of Parliament, it is now impossib'," for anv Commonwealth Minister to visit London this year—l9l4."