THE NAVY LEAGUE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 18

THE NAVY LEAGUE.

FORMATION OF A LADIES' BRANCH.

! A meeting o£ ladies interested in the formation of a ladies' branch of the Navy League was hold in the Town Hall on the 26th ult. About a dozen ladies and three or four gentlemen attended the meeting. Mr J. H. Hcsking, who was voted to the! chair, said they had thought it possible ono of tha ladies would have taken that position. Mrs Reynolds had boen appealed to but had declined on the ground that .she had so many positions of a similar kind to fill. The weather had interfered with the attendance, and there were apologies for absence from Mrs J. M. Ritchie, Mr and Mrs G-eorg-e Fenwick. Mrs Theomin, Mrs C. Butterworth, and Mrs A. Michie. The object- for which the meeting was called was to' formally constitute a branch of the Navy League, if that should appear good to tho?e present ; and he thought he could not do better than ask Mr Johnstone to read a memorandum he had drawn up setting forth the aims and objects of the- league. Mr J. A. Johnstone then read the following memorandum: — "I do not propose to take up the time of this meeting, called for the purpose o£ forming a ladies' branch of the Navy League in Otago. in advocating at any length tho claims of the league, for I believe that all of you are in sympathy with the movpment. What I understand you really want is to know how you may become of practical use to the ca.use we all have it in our hearts to serve. First of all, yet me say that ue love our Motherland, and revere her great naval achievements, and that we believe, as Lord Selborne has stated, that 'the navy means for us our existence as an Empire; it means for us the fact that we are free from invasion ; it means for us our daily food and daily employment. That the navy is all in all and everything ; and therefore, though the cost is great, that it is little compared with Tvhac it brings back to xis.' What has the navy to do? We give the answer — without" disparagement to the sister service, the army, which is both useful and neoes- : 6ary — that 'Jt is the navj upon whioh, in ! the good providence of God, The honour and safety of the Empire depend.' The navy has to maintain and defend an Empire the area of whioh is 11.600,000 square miles, and , of which the annual sea-borne commerce is valued at £1,371,000,000, a gum exceeding ' the sea-borne commerce of the three next • greatest shipping Powers — namely, Germany £561,000,000, United States of America £467,000,000, France £322,000,000. The navy has to protect the ocean carriers of Britain's food supply, which amounts to 15 million tons per annum, or, on the average, 30 tons per minute all the year through. As to the cost of this naval protection to our nation's commerce (and it is generally this question that looms largest in the minds of the British taxpayer, I should like to \ point out that, if the tonnage- of shipping is made the basis of comparison, our annual naval expenditure, contrary to the general [ belief, is not a heavy tax, but a very reasonable rate of insurance, as the follow- ' ing comparison will show : — The British Empire expends on its navy a percentage on its total sea-borne trade of £3 3s, as against Germany's £4 15s 10d- per cent, France's j £10 3s 9d per cent., Russia's £15 14s 6d per ' cent., and the United States' £18 17s 3d per cent. In order that tha navy may be. I in a position to do its work effectively, and so that it may a-lways be maintained at the highest possible pitch of efficiency, his- I tory and past experience of Governments j attest tho necessity for an educated public opinion in the background, urging alike on ' the Admiralty and the Government of the j day such reforms and expenditure as the , exigencies of the times require. The early nineties found the British navy in a very inefficient state, and, with the view of remedying this, many naval and other lead- j ing public men in Britain banded themselves together in 1895 and formed the Navy League, the Executive Committee of which meets weekly in order to discuss the problems that concern the naval welfare of the nation. It has branches throughout the ] United Kingdom, and in all the oversea j colonies. The organisation at Home is very i complete, and many are the reforms that the Navy League, since its inception, has been the means of bringing about. The colonial branches support headquarters by a contribution of not less than 25 per cent, of their income, and are in turn kept fully ; advised by means of the monthly League Journal, and by correspondence of all that is going on, not only in the British navy, but in the fleets of the world. Branches may be formed by either sex. or by both, but it is g-enerally considered that there are separate spheres for each. The work is, of course, very largely of an educational character, and there are surely few more important duties one could be engaged in than seeking to create in the minds- of our people, through the rising generation, a vital interest in the naval history of our nation, so that we may maintain that mastery of the seas which came to us through I Nelson and his. brother captains at Trafal- j gar. I have been asked what work should be taken up by a women's branch of the ' league, and I might make some suggestions, ' though I feel sure you will find ample scope for work when you get into communication *CJth hearguarters, and jead. io. the J^urual^

1 i what is doing in other centres. Some j things you might engage in would be: (1) { Co-operating with the Otago Branch in its j work in the public schools of Otago and otherwise. (2) Rendering pleasant- to ' the officers and men of His Majesty's ships their visits to this port. (3) Presenting challenge trophy for gunlaying or some other competition on board his Majesty's ships of the Australasian squadron, etc., or to some of the local companies (4) Arranging meetings at the homes of members throughout the year to discuss naval and Navy League matters. (5) Making provision for necessitous cases when nav'il disasters occur. (6) Assisting in the extension of the membership of the league. As to this last-named field for your activities, I would point out that although the collection of funds is not the first object of the league, it is only by the possession of ample funds that its 'aims can be successfully striven for. To this end we must increase the membership by every means at our command- Moreover,' a larg-c membership naturally possesses more influence with Governments than a small body of enthusiasts. The German Navy League numbers 688 ? 000 members, and has a free annual income of £30,000. It is not hard to see how such an organisation, with such a substantial fighting fund, can influence Ihe policy of the nation. That policy finds expression in an activity in naval construction that can have as its object only the capacity to meet Britain on the sea. The British Government must make counter-preparations, and it rests with every British citizen to demand that those shall be sufficient and effective, and to beat down such opposition as may be raised by those who may be desirous of starving the navy for the sake of their own pockets. This is the work of the league, and there can be no doubt that it can be best accomplished by extending our membership until we have a body of equal weight to that of the league in Germany. I think this is all I have to say, except to wish the Ladies' Branch a long- life of useful work." The Chairman said they were very much obliged to Mr Johnstone for the clear and j concise manner in which he had placed 1 matters before the meeting. Some resolutions had been prepared, -which ho proceeded to read. He mentioned that, as far as the position of secretary was concerned. i Mrs W. Cowling's name had been inserted in the motion, as that lady had already, organised the present meeting. The first motion, -moved by Mrs Woodhouse, seconded by Mrs Moore, and carried, was as follows: — "That it is desirable to establish for Otago a ladies' branch of the Navy League to be called The Otago Ladies' Branch of the Navy League, and all tho ladios present agrc-e to become members of the league forthwith." j The following office-bearers were appointed: — President, Mrs George M'Lean ; vice-presidents — -Mesdamcs Sinclair Thorn■ son. Lindo Ferguson, Ritchie, Butterworth, and rheomin ; lion, secretary, Mrs W. Dowling ; committee — the president, vice- [ presidents, Mosdamos Woodhousp, Hoskiner, , A. G. Fenwick, W. A. Moore. Murray, W. H. Reynolds. Stanley "Batchelor, Misses , Reynolds, Shand, and H. Williams, with power to add to -their number at a later meeting when consents had been obtained. • I It was resolved that the subscription for 1 members be 10s per annum and for associ- , ates 2s 6cl per annum. 1 It was further resolved that a committee be formed of all the members and associates of this branch, with power to add to their \ number, to assist in carrying out the pro- | gramme now being arranged for the cele- , bration of the Trafalgar Centenary on the 20th of October next. ! A vote of thanks to the chair concluded i the meeting.

A ta-nner named Lepage, living at Segre, France, has presented the King of Spain with two rugs made from the skins of the two horses which were killed by the bomb thrown at his Majesty during his visit to Paris. The King La-s written to the. tanner accepting his gift.