NAVAL SCHEMES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12282, 8 July 1914, Page 5

NAVAL SCHEMES.

MINISTERIALIST SHOWS INDEPENDENCE. FUTILITY OF LOCAL TRAINING. By Telegraph. (Special to Oaiiiaru Mail..) Wellington, July 7. Ministerial followers are'not unanimous over tlxe Government s ciiange of naval policy. Mr Bell, Wellington Suburbs, in a speech to-nignt showed a <lej>arture from. tlio official Ministerial view which is all the more interesting because ho is tiie son or a Cabinet Minister. Mr Bell, junr., told the House to-night that he-was against local training, because it would not he nearly so effective as if the men nei 0 able to move tliroiiizli tlic orunciies oi a "-reat fleet. Another objection ho Jiad to the Government's proposals was that the next war was not - likely t ) take place in the Pacific, and even if it did the ships we possessed would be ao"solutely inadequate to deal with the situation. (Oppositionists: ' -Hear hear.") Still, Mr Bell added, he was going to vote for the Government. lie favored the policy of contribution, hut if New Zealand's money sinroly went to reduce the English na-val estimates then he preferred the Government s scheme. , Cordial agreement lor iiir Ben s cirndid expression came irom Mr H. '« - El! who declared that the safety_ oi evciy branch of the English-speaking race dcoended on the maintenance of n powerful saw in Home waters. Ihe Ministry, on the contrary, favored a local navy. > . "No," corrected the Prime Minister, "a Pacific navy."