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New Zealand Mail, Issue 758, 10 September 1886, Page 22

interesting question has been raised at Home as to the possibility of combining the naval defences of the Australasian colonies with an exceedingly fast mail service. Ik arose in connection with a speech delivered by Sir Thomas Brassey on colonial naval defence. In that speech Sir Thomas remarked that — Until a recent period the defence of the colonies rested exclusively on the Mother Country. As, however, the larger colonies had grown in wealth, and population they had, m a worthy spirit of independence, gradually assumed their increased responsibilities. Ihe Australian colonies had undertaken the defence of the harbors both by works on shore and by flotillas. In the construction of fortifications the advice of Sir W. Jervois_ and other able officers was followed, and no further intervention on the part of the Mother Country seemed to be necessary. In the defence of the coasts and harbors by naval means, however, the colonies could not rely on their own unaided resources, and they had to look to the Mother Country for the construction and armament of the vessels necessary for the purpose. To build vessels in the dockyards of England was mainly a questiou of money, but to man the ships efficiently when they were built was a far more difficult task. It would be impossible to improvise the personnel of a navy in order to give to the colonies the full advantage of our naval organisation. Further steps should be taken for the unification and consolidation of Imperial and local forces. With a view to this object it had been proposed that the privilege of flying the white ensign should be conceded to the public vessels of the colonies. There had been some hesitation on coming to a decision on this point. It was to be remembered _ that the Admiralty had no voice in the selection of the officers for the command of the colonial vessels, and the Admiralty might reasonably have hesitated to allow their flag to be hoisted, on ships not under their own control. With a view of meeting the difficulty he offered a suggestion. He thought the difficulty would bo met by entering for the navy cadets to be nominated by the Colonial Governments, sufficient m numbers to supply the requirements of Colonial naval service. The Colonial naval cadets could ree'eive their education in a school on shore, which might he established flt Sydney. The curriculum should be identical with that approved for the Britannia. From this school at Sydney the cadets should pass into the naval service afloat, and be appointed to serve the Australian stations, and they should be eligible by examination to pass into the regular line oi naval duty when their training ashore and afloat was completed. Thus they would be available for the service of the colonies to which they .belonged. By the carrying out of some such plan much would be done towards the consolidation of the Colonial and the Imperial Navy. > lt was impossible to place an arbitrary limit to the number of ships required by Great Britain ; it was obvious that the security of our trade would be according to our means of defence of it. The Mother Country must bear her full share of the burden of protecting her external trade ; but the wealthy colonies, in their own interests, would not refuse to take their part in this duty. It might be stipulated by the colonial Governments that, as a condition of contribution to the cost, a certain force should at all times be maintained in colonial waters, or in the routes followed by the trade of the contributing colonies. The defence of the ocean trade could be accomplished, not only more efficiently, but far more cheaply, by the Imperial Navy, than by the colonies.

Such are the suggestions put forth by Sir T. Brassey, but the Press generally has not accepted them as affording an adequate solution of the problem. One paper, for instance, commenting on the speech, remarks that “ while this is all very well in its way, something might be done which is more practicable and more in advance of matters as they are.” It is pointed out that an eminent engineer has expressed his conviction that steamers can be built to run at a speed of 10 knots. Assuming such a velocity to be possible it is urged that this high speed will sooner or later be practically applied, and probably by some foreign

nation with the view of attacking our mercantile marine in case of war, it being certain that a large part of the operations in future naval warfare will depend for their success upon the greatest speed being attainable. The necessity of high speed and regularity iu the Australian Mail Services is also strongly impressed, and the deduction is that as some plan for the defence of England’s ocean trade in case of war is imperatively necessary, of which the colonies would have to bear a fair share of the expense, these desiderata might be combined. It is admitted that the extreme speeds which may be possible of attainment would not pay any mercantile steamers to run at even with a good mail contract. The proposal put forth is that the possibility should be considered of a practicable and swift mail service that can only be obtained by the employment of Government vessels, on account of the very great expense necessary to obtain the speed desired, and that before entering into any contract for the future carrying of the mails between Australia and Britain the question of connecting the mail service with the possible needs, in time of war, of the defence of the colonial trade should receive the consideration both of the Home Government and of the several Governments of the colonies. It is argued that by these swift war vessels being constantly in service performing the duties of mail steamers, their efficiency and capabilities would be thoroughly tested, and that they would form the best means of training our future sailors and officers. It is not proposed that passengers and goods should be carried by these fast steamers, but that they should be simply Government cruisers carrying mails. The time suggested for carriage of mails between England and Australia is 20 days, or about 23 days to New Zealand.

Now this is a very attractive scheme so far as mere theory goes. It would be delightful to continue an efficient system of naval defences —the Mother Country paying the lion’s share—with a mail service swifter than had ever yet entered into our wildest dreams —the Mother Country again paying the lion’s share ; but we must confess to grave doubts as to the practicability of this tempting proposal. Tn the first place, marine speeds of 40 knots are as yet visions of a distant future. That they will ultimately be realised there is little doubt. But we are nowhere near that point yet. Torpedo boats and lake steam-yachts have attained a fraction over 23 knots, but that is virtually our present limit. We do not doubt that a comparatively brief period will see 25 knots an accomplished fact. It is not many years since 16 knots was the maximum possible. But the Alaska showed that 19 knots could be reached ; the illfated Oregon achieve! 20, and lastly the Cunard Company’s two newest liners, the Umbria and Etruria, attained 21 knots with comparative ease. On trial trips they maintained a speed of knots for 18 consecutive hours. Mr Pearce, the celebrated shipbuilder, speaking at the launch of one of these superb vessels, said that he considered a speed of 25 knots already quite possible. It was only the question of cost that at present prevented its being practicable. And here we may observe that the question of first cost is far from being the only economic consideration to be entertained. The coal bill is a no less formidable item than the interest on cost of construction. The consumption of fuel at a speed of 25 knots would be simply enormous. The Arawa making the run from Plymouth to Hobart in 35 days 7 hours, and averaging 14 knots all the way, burned only 52 tons of coal per diem. The Oregon, at 20 knots, burned over 300 tons per day. The Umbria and Etruria burn something like 350 tons at 21 knots. What the consumption would be at 25 knots has not yet been definitely ascertained, but it would assuredly represent a gigantic total for a trip of even moderate length. In a voyage round the world at that rate, the aggregate would be something appalling, and when we bear in mind the space that would be required for the storage of these huge quantities of fuel, also the additional room that would be occupied by the increased size of the engines, it is difficult to escape the convietoin that if a 25-knot speed be physically possible in the case of ocean steamers as now constructed, it is certainly at present quite impracticable on so long a passage as that between England and Australasia, if only on account of the I vast expense involved. Possibly, now

that the suggestion has been broached, some feasible 'modification may be devised.