IMPERIAL DEFENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8186, 30 July 1912, Page 5

IMPERIAL DEFENCE

CANADA’S POSITION. SIR JOSEPH WARD ON THB NAVY QUESTION. MEW ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, July 29. Sir Joseph Ward was interviewed to day concerning his views on the part Canada is expected to play in ■ ths scheme of; Imperial naval defence. Sir Joseph said he was glad the Canadian Government was moving in the direction that the, Home cables indicated. In his judgment the schema which Mr R. L. Borden and his Min-* isters were apparently arranging with the Admiralty was the veiy best that could be decided upon. He (the speaker) had always been against isolated local navies, upon tha broad and potent ground that the defence and maintenance of the Empira could only he effectively carried out by, having one great Imperial Navy allocated as those responsible for tha protection of the Empire as a whola thought best, at the outposts, and all the time under one control. The Empire had grown tremendously,not by the aggregation of fresh terri* tory, which no one wanted to see, but, by the marvellous expamfon of trad* and commerce and the increase of it* people, particularly in the outlying por.' tions over which the British nag- flies.; The action of Canada in this matter was on the same lines as New Zealand adopted when giving its contribution ■ and a Dreadnought ; and the fact that the Home authorities had decided to place the Dominion’s gift in the North Sea Fleet confirmed in the most convincing way -the stand he had always taken for a great united fleet, centred wherei*r the controlling authorities thought best in the interests of ths Empire as the safest and strongest course. Ho felt very proud to see these early developments, • for ho had personally, and in different parts of the world, and in Canada itself, urged the prin« ciple of a great united Empire Navy, with portions of it placed in the waters of the overseas dominions. The soon, er this was carried out the better it would be for the people in all parts of the Dominion.