NAVAL DEFENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14702, 9 December 1909, Page 8

NAVAL DEFENCE.

BILL BEFORE PARLIAMENT. SECOND READING DEBATE. (Pin United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, December 8. In the House of Representatives tlio Prime Minister moved tho second reading of the Naval Defence Bill, and reviewed the position previous to the offer of a Dreadnought- by the Dominion to tlio Imperial navy. Referring to the Conference on Naval Defence, the papers regarding which lmd been laid on the table of the House, Sir J. G. Ward said the reports of the speeches made at the conference were not included in these, as they were regarded as confidential; neither had ho authority to make use of them. • The papers placed on the table had been supplied by the Imperial authorities. The Prime Minister proceeded to quote from tho memoranda, included in the reports laid on the table, making special reference to the scheme of Imperial naval defenco and the share' of the overseas dominions therein. In the opinion of the Admiralty tile Dominion Government.* desirous of creating a navy should aim at forming a distinct fleet unit, consulting at least of one armoured cruiser (Dreadnought), three unarmoured cruisers (Bristol), six destroyers, and three submarines, at an estimated initial cost of £3,700,000 and a maintenance -cost of £600,000. . At tho conference he (the Prime Minister) had. taken up the position that New Zealand could not accept the idea- of a fleet unit for Australia and the Dominion, but preferred to have tho direct connection with the Imperial navy maintained in some concrete forln. Thb naval agreement between Australia, the Dominion, and the Mother Country had terminated- consequent on the altered arrangements made by AustraliaIt was quite clear that New Zealand could not give up her relation with the Imperial navy, Even had the Dominion joined Australia in the fleet unit scheme it would have left the Dominion almost helpless in time of trouble unless a. very large sum was expended in maintaining a shard in tho Australasian navy.

llr Massey disclaimed any intention of treating the' subject from a party standpoint. Ho understood that the Prime Minister had received a mandate to offer a. Dreadnought to the Imperial navv for use in British waters. Had 1 it been known that the vessel would have formed part of the China, squadron there would have been less enthusiasm about it. He was glad to notice that in the event of w»t tlio control passed automatically to the Admiralty as far as Australia was concerned. He believed it would have been far better for the Dominion to have cooperated with Australia, and he gathered from the papers laid on the table that this was the view of the Admiralty.

Sir J. G. Ward: No, that is not so. Mr Massoy, continuing, referred- to the Bristol cvuieers, which type was to Dreadnoughts as 6 to 100, and could hardly be considered a fighting ship, though it might tie able to meet merchantmen equipped for fighting. Willi a- few vessels of this typo the Dominion would not be so well provided for as at present. The scheme proposed was unbusiness-like and unworkable. Mr Massey went on to refer to the alleged crisis preceding the offer of a Dreadnought, and said it was no wonder that people were beginning to think that the offer wsjs not made solely for patriotic reasons. The other Dominions had consulted their Parliaments before entering upon schemes of Imperial naval defence. The offer of a. Dreadnought had been made under conditions that were a slight to Parliament.

Mr Taylor said- the people of New Zealand had had no opportunity to ratify the Dreadnought offer, which was a spasmodic one. The Motherland had not desired a Dreadnought. He believed that in a few years we would be co-operating with Australia in naval defence. THE OFFICIAL REPORT. flPnoii Our Own Corkespohdekt.) WELLINGTON, December v B. The official report of the recent Imperial Defence Conference was laid on . the table of the House to-day. The paper contains a summary of the results of the conference and the corespondenco that has pawed on the subject of New Zealand's gift of a Dreadnought to the Imperial navy. A summary of this information has already been made public property in the interview given by the Prime Minister on his return from England and partly in the Budget. Mr Fisher and Mr Wilford continued the debate. Mr Allen said he ivas not sure that the country was getting all it should get for the huge expenditure on defence. Parliament had been tied by the action of the Prime Minister in committing it to the Dreadnought offer. After all the talk about naval supremacy being decided in the North Sea we were to have fleet units in the Pacific Ocean. He regretted that the Dominion had declined to join hands with the Commonwealth in the naval defence of our shores. He criticised tho strategical disposition of the fleets in the China and Australian waters, which would be ineffective in warfare when concentration was necessary. (Left sitting.)