MR CHURCHILL AND THE DOMINIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15736, 12 April 1913, Page 8

MR CHURCHILL AND THE DOMINIONS.

Up till the last few montlis Mr Winston Churchill was claimed as a champion by those who favour, as an alternative to concentration of naval strength in the North S>ea, the development of a fresh centre of Imperial strength in each one oE the British dominions. There was a good deal of evidence to show that Mr Churchill was looking at the problem from tho angle of the colonial nationalist. In particular, in May last his support of what are known as local navies was unmistakeable. The last ten years, he said, had seen the concentration of the fleet in home waters: the feature of the next ten would be the development of naval forces in the dominions themselves. And he divided Imperial defence between. England, which was " to protect the decisive point," and ' the daughter States, whose function would be -" to guard and patrol all the rest of the British Empire." These statements shed the blessing of the Admiralty upon local fleets and they were so hailed. The year had not ended, however, before Mr Churchill reversed his views. In the late autumn Mr Borden conferred with the Admiralty in London, and at his wish the experts prepared a memorandum which was read by, the Prime Minister in the naval debate in the Canadian Commons. This paper made it clear that local fleets weTe no longer.in favour at headquarters. Canada was advised to build "the largest ships that money can supply." As a local fleet Requires small craft besides a parent ship, it was evident that the Admiralty advised, by implication, that these ships should be placed' in the North Sea. The Admiralty deals in hints in preference to specific statements when treating with this subject, and for most readers the meaning of the Borden memorandum • was plain. In the current number of the Bound Table, for instance, a writer comments upon Mr Churchill's change of opinion. But within the last few weeks the First Lord has put any doubt at rest by saying outright that though contributions of ships and local fleets are both helpful, in his opinion' the former is the better policy. Few would care to say offhand whether Mr Churchill's new view is right or wrong. All we can he certain of is that what he says how is the opposite of what he declared last May. Mr Churchill and the Sea Lords are not to be blamed for forsaking their opinions. They are fallible, and no doubt prefer to be so regarded. But a dominion that seeks advice from tho Admiralty should remember that one thing may be told it in 1912 - and another in 1913. And not only does the opinion of Cabinets change, but Governments themselves come and go, and they rarely think alike. The recent debate in the House of" Commons revealed Mr Lee, Mr Balfour's First Lord, as an opponent of Mr Churchill's policy of concentration. From this we gather' that the new policy will be reversed when the Unionists come in. ' An immediate change of Government would have some curious effects. Mr Smuts, the South African Defence Minister, is to go to London shortly to consult tho Admiralty. If he had to confer, not with Mr Churchill but with Mr Lee, he would bo advised along the lines laid down by Mb Churchill in his speech last May. And should a Labour Government be in power in ten years' time, no one can say what form their advice would take. Mr Churchill's change of view is a little embarrassing to New Zealand, where great things are hoped from the advice of the Admiralty. But the propriety of consulting that body is in no way lessened. Apart from the.necessity of conference with the British Government before taking any step, wo derive unquestioned profit from being placed in contact with " an accumulation of expert knowledge considerably greater than in any other country in the world." But the episode should not go unnoticed. It reminds us that the faith we place in the Admiralty must be discriminating. We cannot carry out both Mr Churchill's policies. In the long run wo must do our own thinking and decide our own policy. The British

Government is aware of this and treats a dominion Government as an equal. Bnt there are some in New Zealand itself who would allow our Government too little freedom of action. By all ouch the changes of view the Admiralty has made within a few months should be carefully, considered.