THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1912. THIS DOMINION AND NAVAL POLICY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15608, 11 November 1912, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1912. THIS DOMINION AND NAVAL POLICY.

It is rather unfortunate, sinco tho Minister of Defeucc is shortly to visit Great Britain, that the Government did not find itself able to place Parliament in jiossession of tho judgment it lias formed on tho subject of naval policy. The more especially is this the caso in view of the fact that, as was indicated by tho Prime Minister, the Cabinet has discus**! the matter on various occasions and is in agreement concerning it. That tho Empire is on the eve of important developments in regard to naval defence seems highly likely. Tho situation has, it is quite plain, undergone a material change sinco the Defence Conference in I/nidon in 1909 adopted a policy that was supped to provide for tho eventual constitution of a Pacific Fleet. This llect was to consist of three units—tho liist Indies, Australia, and China—-Kick of which was to include a largo armoured cruiser of the Indomitable typo.. Tho Admiralty itself was to create the East Indies unit; Australia was to supply her own fleet unit; and New. Zealand was to provide a battleship cruiser which was to bo the ilagsliip of the China unit. The Canadian Government was not proparod to fall in with tho suggestion that it might undertake to furnish a fourth licet unit for tho Pacific coast, but Sir Wilfrid liaurier, whose ideas ran in the. direction of tho construction of ft local licet of cruisers and destroyers, which should l>e partly stationed in the Atlantic and partly in the Pacific, lias sinco been displaced from office in favour of a party that is disused to make generous provision for naval defence. Tfio programme, however, which was. accepted three years ago, lias, to a largo extent, gone by the board. Australia has persevered with her undertaking; tho battleship cruiser which is being constructed at the expense of New Zealand will, with the consent of tho Government of this dominion, readily and properly given, bo transferred to the North Sea, where she will be of more scrvico than if she were retained in the Pacific, and the Admiralty has not fulfilled its portion of the programme in respcct of cither the China or lunst Indies units. In these circumstances tho need for a revision of the whole arrangements is apparent. It is emphasised by tho fiict that, as Tlia Times puts it," the dangers by which the Kmpiro is menaced peem to grow more swiftly than the general capacity of our peoples for realising them." And tor this reason tho suggestion tliat advantage should bo taken of Mr James Allen's trip to England to hold a conference between representatives of the Mother Country and of as many of the oversea dominions as jossiblc jkxwsscs a very definite value. Tho proposal by 'llm Times thai the Minister of Defonoo in the Australian Government should visit, Kngland at the fame time as Mr Allen in order to confer -with the Admiralty authorities seems less practicable tium the alternative suggestion that, as Mr Allen will return to Now Zealand via Vancouver, a' conference should be held in Canada. Tho fact that the general election in the Commonwealth will take place in the earlier ]rirt of next year might render the abscnce of Mr Pearce. from Australia for a few months somewhat iroonrcniont. The geographical position of Vancouver, standing midway, as it were, lietwoon Great Britain and Australasia would probably, however, admit of a conference being held there without serious incnmve.nience to anyone, especially if Mr Winston Churchill has, ns may be gathered, not abandoned the idea of an early visit to Canada. Moreover, it would be a pretty compliment to Canada, in recognition of tho practical Imperialism which has marked the utternacas of her

Prime Minister, Mr Borden, upon tha subjoct of naval policy, if an Imperial Defence Conference wero hold in that dominion. The proposal Mr Borden himself lias in view for his own country will, in accordnjico with wli.it ho regards as constittition.il precedent, not be disclosed until tltfy aro laid before tho Canadian Parliament, which mil meet tliis month. There is eorne measure of authority, howcvm, for the statement Ikt tho Government will olTcr, as an emergency contribution to tha Lnperial navy, to build threo Dreadnoughts at a cast of £6,000,000 and that it will proccod to elaborate a permanent naval policy which will include the best features of the Laurier scheme and involve something liko adequate provision for dcfence on both coasts. And there will be an important corollary to the offer of tho Canadian Government— a corollary expressed by Mr Borden in the statement that " with co-operation in defencc must came a certain voico by Canada in tho interests of pcaco and war." This is a stipulation from which tho Imperial Government would apparently not lxs averse, and, although thert may 1« difficulties in tho way of th« representation of iho dominions by members of their own Cabinets in the Committee of Defence, thero is, unquestionably, a growing sontimcnt in favour of tho linking-up of tlic various portions of tho Empire by tho extension to all of them of a voice in tho settlement of tho issues of Imperial, defence. Tho principlo upon which representation upon tho Imperial Committeo of Dofcnco would be accorded to tho dominions that contributed to 1.110 maintenance of tlio dcfence of the Empire woidd, of course, apply equally whether tho contribution was rondo in tho form of a subsidy or through tho construction of a fleet unit or the part of a fleet unit.