NEW ZEALAND AND A NAVY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12283, 9 July 1914, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND AND A NAVY.

Per Press Association. Wellington. July 8. When Dr M'Nab was in Sydney he was astonished to find on reading the papers and discussing the matter with press reporters that the opinion was universallv held in the city that New Zealand had embarked on a naval policv on all fours with that of the Commonwealth, and that the- Dominion intended to have a fleet of its own in the Pacific waters. He told this to a ; representative of the Times, who interviewed, him. on his return from Australia vestexdav, and said he had done what h'e could'to dissiate the wrongful idea. "It was with difficulty." he remarked, "that I persuaded them that the members of the Ministry themselves repud'ited any such policy, though, thev were, in a-'large measure opposed to "the Liberal policy of direct contribution to the navv. I was assured that our Minister of Defence (the Hon. James Allen) when in Australia, had conveyed the impression of a New Zealand navy to the press there. I could: onlv reply that if that were his. policy, then the policy of the Ministry of today had undergone serions modification. I also stated that although there, was a materiol difference between the. intentions of the present Government and the policy of the Ward Ministry, I had no doubt whatever that the coming general election would secure a retirrn to the Ward policy. To this I added that the shadow of coming events was responsible for the uncertainty which prevailed in Cabinet circles * to-day recording their naval policy? Dr M'Nab went on to say that Tepofts which had recently been made public in Australia regardng the building of their navy at Sydney was causing a great deal of division, of opinion in the Commonwealth, and the fear was openly expressed that unless some radical change took place in the methods of construction, -etc., the delay in turning out the vessels at_ Sydney would result in half the efficient life of the."ships being lost.