THE RECENT CONFERENCE.

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 31

THE RECENT CONFERENCE.

STATEMENT BY SIR J. G. WARD.

NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION EXPLAINED.

AUCKLAND. September 30

On bs-injr int-er\ ieworl on hi^ arrival this morninsr, Sir Jcseph Ward said, with reference to the IMPERIAL NAVAL CONFERENCE, that up to his leaving England he did not feel warranted in making any definite statement regarding the work of the conference, as the proceedings throughout were of & secret nature, and, considering the interests invoved, rightly so. Therefore, until th© Prime Minister of England (who was president of the conference) made his statement to the House of Commons be- (Sir Joseph), when inter\ iewed by press ropref'pntative's in England and other countries, had declined to go into derails Mr Asquith havintr s ; nco rr.ade his statement to the House, he (S-ir Jos^ph^ was quite at liberty now to deal with certain aspects of the work of tho conference. From the outset h© held rh^e view, and expressed it 100. that of necessity there must bo ! flexible conditions to enablo different portion* of the Empire to provide for what tlioir Governments and people behind their Governments considered to be best suited to their requirements and sentiments. The WORK OF THE CONFERENCE was approached in thi-i spirit by rfnr'sontativc-- of the different countries nuisent. As was already known. Australia mid Canada, comphing with what the3 r believed to b° conditions attaching to theirrountriei?, had each one uron linens of hay hi g a local nav\ , while New Zealand, South Africa, and Newfoundland adhered to the spirit of one srreat Imperial navy to serve oil parts of tho Emplio. NEW ZEALAND WAS NOT OUTVOTED. Sir Joseph said that b& would liko to i-entove tho impre»^sion, which he noticed had been conv>>ed by cabe from Ottawa, to the effect that New Zealand was outvoted at the conference. This v. as not correct, nor was any such 6tat«»'.viont made by him. At the conference, where the respective self-?overning countries had their representatives, there was no attempt on the part of any country to force a vote, nor wi&re divisions taken, for the very selfevident reason that no majority vote at a conference of tho kind could be expected to have binding foroe on any self-governing country tbe preservation of whose autonomy

was recognised <to be imperative: in other words, the decision of the majority at such a conference upon any point could not be expeoted to settle a matter that should be dealt with by the Governments of the respective countries concerned. In has judgment, however, GREAT WORK HAD BEEN DONE by the Imperial Defence Conference, and though different portions of the Empire, recognising their undoubted rights, have decided to support local as against one Imperial navy, yet the general result has been to materially strengthen naval defence, and a very important step forward has been taken towards the protection of British interests in tho Pacific. So far as New Zealand's position is concerned, the course he followed as its representative was a clear and definite one, and one from which no departure was made by him — namely, the "support of one great Imperial naval force, a portion of which was to be located in New Zealand waters. THE DREADNOUGHT OFFER. He had noticed that some people, in assuming what he, as New Zealand's representative had done, imagined that some change in reference to the offer of the Dreadnought was made or suggested by him. This was quite incorrect. There was no variation of any sort or kind made regarding the offer by New Zealand of a Dreadnought, wh.ch, it would be remembered, was pn unconditional offer so far as the control or disposition of the battleship was concerned. - Being at the disposition of the Admiralty, it was to be sent -wherever it was most wanted for the requirements of the British navy. The Admiralty expressed a preference for a battleship of the Indomitable class, concerning 1 which there seems to be some misunderstanding in the minds of some people who have been criticising the matter. The New Zealand battleship i? to be the FLAGSHIP OF THE BRITISH PACIFIC SQUADRON, whose headquarters are to be on the China station. This is undoubtedly the right place for it from a strategical point, of view. He had noticed w.th some surprise the fact that some people appeared not to have known that the bas9 of the British fleet on the China station was in British territory — namsly, Hongkong. He thought it should be regarded as complimentary to New Zealand that its battleship was .selected to be the flagship of the Admiral of the Pao : fic fleet Our ship could easily have been made one of the Channel fleet without any sucn distinction being conferred upon it. So that it would be seen that no change of position or attitude was taken up by him in reference to the offer of a Dreadnought, which was ordered by Parliament to be at the disposition of the Admiralty. Continuing, Sir Joseph said, as showing the position in a concrete form, and for the information of the people of New Zealand, who necessarily were concerned in what had been done by him as their representative in this important matter, he # had pleasui-e in handing for publication a copy of a letter addressed by him to the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Right Hon. Mr M'Kenna, together with his reply : — Ofnce of tho Prime Minister of New Zealand, Hotel Cecil, London, August 11, 1909 Dear Mr M'Kenna, — At to-day's meet--ing you explained that the general idea i nderlying the Admiralty memorandum wag that the present East Indies, China, and Australasian squadrons should be treated sirateorically as one Far Eastern, ■'or, as you thought a preferable term, " Pacific " station, and that each of The principal portions cf this station should have a complete fleet unit — the Commonwealth Government maintaining one unit in Australian waters in lieu of the present ' Australian squadron, and cha Imperial Governmont providing the remainrlpr, the Dreadnought cruiser presented by New Zealand forming the flagship of the China unit. If Canada found herself able also to come into this agreetnent, her contribution to the Pacific stafc.on would bn a fourth unit. I think it will conduce to clearness if I state my views in writing, hence this memorandum. I expressed m>self as generally satisfied with this arrangement as a strategic plan, but I would point out that if, as I understand, Australia is providing an independent unit it means the superseding of the present British- Australian squadron, and tho fact of that being done would, on its. completion, determine the Naval Agreement with Australia and New Zealand, thus creating an entirely new position. 1 favour one great Imperial Navy with all the- 1 oversea dominions contributing euher in ship or any other way, and with available stations at the self-govern-ing: dominions supplied with ships by and under the control of the Admiralty, i, however, realise the difficulties, and recognise that Australia and Canada *n this important matter are doing that which their respective Governments consider to b* best. But the fact remains that the alterations that will be brought about upon th.i establishment of an Australian unit will alter the present position with Now Zealand. New Zealand's maritime interests in her own waters and her tiependent islands in tho Pacific would, under the altered airanareinent*. Hp almost entirely represented by the Australian fi*>"t unit, and not. as at present, by the Imperial fleet. This important factor, I consider, nec^sitat'es .some suitable provision being made for New Zealand, which country has a most friendly feolins in er«j lesp^et for Australia and its p?ople; and I am anxious that in the in tiation New Zealand should not bo overlooked. I consider it my duty to point this out, and to ha\e the direct connection between New Zealand and the Royal Navy maintained in some concrete form N n w Zealand will supply a Dreadnought for the British navy, as already offered; the ship to be under the contiol of and stationed wherever the Admiralty considers it advisbale. I fully realise that the creation of Pacific units — one in the Ea«t, one in Australia, and, if possible, one in Canada ! — would be a great improvement upon the existing condition of affairs, and the fact that tbe New Zealand Dreadnought is to be the flagship of the China Pacific unit is, in my opinion, satisfacI tory. I, however, consider it is advisable that a portion of the China Pacific unit should remain in New Zealand waters, and I would suggest that two of tihe new '" Bristol " cruisers, together with three destroyers and two submarines, should be detached from tbe China, station in time of psace, and be

stationed in New Zealand waters; that these vessels should come under the flag of the admiral of the China unit; that the flagship should make periodical visits to New Zealand waters; and that there should be an interchange in the service of the cruisers between New Zealand and China under conditions to be laid down. The ships should be manned as far as possible by New Zealand officers and men, and in order that. New Zealanders j might be attracted to serve in the Beet i local rates should be paid to those New Zealanders who enter in the same manner as under the present Australian and New Zealand agreement, such local rates being treated as deferred pay. The determination of the agreement with Australia has of necessity brought up the position of New Zealand under that joint agreement. I therefore suggest that on the completion of the China unit the present 'agreement with New Zealand should cease ; that its contribution of £100,000 per 'annum should continue, and be used to pay the difference in the rates of pay to New Zealanders above what would be paid under the ordinary rate ; if tho contribution for the advanced rate of pay did not amount to £100,000 per annum, any balance to be at the disposal of the Admiralty; the whole of this fleet . unit to be taken in hand and completed before the end of 1912, and I shbuld be glad if the squadron as a whole would then visit New Zealand on ttw way to China, leaving the New Zealand detachment _ there under its senior officer. — I remain, yours sincerely. J. G. Wabd. Admiralty, Whitehall, 18th August, 1909. Dear Sir Joseph, — The suggestions made by you at the meeting on the 11th. inst., and recited by jou in your letter to me of the same date, have been carefully considered, and concurred in by the Admiralty. The present Naval Agreement -with* Australia and New Zealand* will not be renewed, and in view of this fact and the other special circumstances referred to by you, the part of the China Fleet unit, ao set out by you, will be maintained in New Zealand as its headquarters. Your wish that the ships of the fleet as a whole, or at anyorate the armoured ships and the cruisers, when completed, should pay a visit to New Zealand on the way to China will also "Be carried out. I take this opportunity, on behalf of the Admiralty, or repeating its sincere thank* to the New Zealand Government for taking 6O important a part in the inception of the present conference. The Admiralty feels that every effort should bs made to wori" out a, scheme acceptable to the people of New Zealand, having regard to the patriotio action taiken by yourself and your Minist»re in March last. — I remain, yours sincerely, Reginald M'Kenka. The correspondence spoke f or itself, and made the position perfectly clear. The seven vessels that were to bs sent to New Zealand would be of the most modern character, and all of them would be constructed between now and 1912. The New Zealaxfd detachment which remained ir New Zealand waters would 6e under the control of the senior officer, and he said he felt confident that from a. careful examination of the proposals outlined >ir his memorandum, which he was happy to say were assented to by the Admiralty, it would be seen that while New Zealand ttood for ONE GREAT IMPERIAL NAVY, its important interests, as part of the British pctesessione, had been well provided for. lie had taken the opportunity of ensuring that every facility should be given to New Zealanders to join the ships in our waters, and in orclar to help- the scheme forward he proposed ihafc we should, on the expiry of the present agreement, which takes place on the completion of the Pacific fleet unit in 1912, continue our contribution of £100,000 per annum. But this, it would he saen fiom his memorandum to the Admiralty, would be for different purposes — namely, the payment of an extra rate of pay to New Zealandcrs above the ordinary iiritish rate. It had also been arranged that so far as possible the SHIPS SHOULD BE MANNED BY NEW ZEALANDERS, and that in the course of time, as opportunities offered themselves, those who proved themselves eligible for promotion bhould ascend the rungs of the officers' ladder, and thus have opened to them as a profession the highest position in the navy. It must of necessity take conic time before our young men could qualify for 6uch promotion, but by remaining part of one Imperial navy it must be remembered that the whole fleet of the British navy was open to them. One of the greatest drawbacks that ho saw to a Ig^al navy wae the limitation that mint be imposed upon officers and mon in having such a narrow field to work upon, cither from the point of view of efficiency or of advancement. He might ako say that the battleship supplied by New Zealand, which .£He Admiralty preferred to bo of the type of the Indomitable cla^, -would not, as some supposed, be a crui^ei, but an armoured »hip, about as costly to buil<J as a Dreadnought — a class of vessel which competent naval authorities expressed strong preference for as against what was known as a Dreadnought prootir. There wa? a diffiM-ei^ce of opinion in the naval expert world as to which was the bet-.or cla6» of ship, but. £o far as he could {rather, there was no difference of opinion as to the indomitable- armoured battleship Leing more satisfactory and effective as forming part of the Pacific squadron than the other class of ship. This, however, he said, was a matter for the Admiralty. New Zealand had not suggested or changed ite offer ono iota. He might also say that we \\eve to provide th© name for our battleship, and he had held this over in order to have the matter of the name considered in New Zealand. It would thus be seen that not only d'd our battleship become the flagship of the Pacific squadron, in its individuality standing out markedly in that respect, bufc that the right of naming it would enable us in years tef come to follow the movements and destiny of the firet battleship offered by a self-governing Dominion and accepted by the Old Land. Sir Joseph Ward also said that he had noticed some expressions of regret on the part of some at the severance of our connection with Australia in the matter of naval defence. He was unable to agree with that view. We were NOT SEPARATING OURBELV/ES from Australia in any sense of the term. Our attachment up to now had not been with a squadron owned or controlled by ! Australia* but with th* British *amdro^

' whoes headquarters had bean in Australia and which upon the completion of the Aus tralian unit ceased to exist. Their sugges tion, therefore, that the Admiral of tbi Australian unite should also be the Admira "of the ships in New Zealand waters woul< in practice be unworkable; for the reaso-i that our ships would form part and parce directy of the British navy, while those o Australia would be known as the Austrahai Local Navy. The -latter navy would b< under the control of an Australian admira in time of peace, while in time of war i would b© under the control of the Britisl Admiralty -only, conditionally upon tht Commonwealth Government first assenting There was, of course, no -doubt that preeen or future Commonwealth Government, would co-operate with the British navy an< do all in their oower for the preservatioi lof the British Empire. Sir Joseph saw that the Australian representative at tb conference (Colonel Foxton) had discusset this important subject with him durmj the sitting of the conference. The follow ing correspondence upon the matter woul* show the position taken: — Commonwealth of Australia, Hote Cecil, 13th August. 1909. Dear Sir Joseph,— l hope you will pardoi my approaching you again on the subjec of the desirability of New Zealand joinin| with Australia in establishing an Aus traJasian fleet unit under the scheme pu forward at the conference. I have- hear< from Mr Beakin, who strongly urges tha you should fall in with the suggestion There is, I think, little doubt about Aus tralia adopting the suggestion of th Admiralty that we should take over «i oontrol of the Australian flee* unit, tc gether witfc the Sydney dockyards, etc, and that the Imperial Government sna! subsidise Australia, for the present a all events, to the extent of the differene between the estimated annual cost of th unit and the £500.000 which Aurtralii would provide as her share until she cai assume tha whole burden. • New Zealand's subsidy of £250,000 pc annum is to be applied, weare told towards the upkeep of the China flee unit, but as it is to. be paid uncond tionally to the Imperial Government i will practically go into the consolidaterevenue of the /United . Kingdom an- ' mieht iusfc as well be designated as bein, augment the funds require fSthfmaintenLc^ <* the Australian o Australasian unit; ac toward, i those « nuired for the China unit of the Haster, ST with all the advantage of its bein, S wilßonduce.to the security of th Empirein the way most conformable t the views of *he Admiralty. . illy I point out that, except m mer ,Jme NeV Zealand's contribution wil 5 what you now projxjse, have pract Sly the Bame «ffert so far as New 1m land is concerned, inasmuch as .to will be paying £250,000 a year to th &*wml Government, and the latter vv be subsiding Australia to a sornewha shrtihir if not a larger amount. Woul Tu£ be well that Instead of this sur being nominally applied towards mam tainin* the unit in China it should l> applied towards the maintenance of tn Australasian unit, which, will almost ici tainly be the one tp which JNew Zealan. will have in the first instance to look to her protection? She would at least hay the satisfaction of knowing that she wa in reality contributing to the ocat *.- maintaining the whose vessel will be from time to time yw.ting ue ports. Trusting than that this view wil commend itsslf to you, I remain, etc. J. T. G. Foxton. Prime -Minister's Office, Hotel Ceci' - 13th August. 1909. Dear Colonel Foxtonr—l am in recei|j of your letter of today's date, and hay carefully noted the suggestions oontaino thea-in. I much regret that I am un able to fall in with what is proposer] Fjrst. becau6e- speaking foi New Zea laaci/, I believe it is in the best interest not only of that Dominion, but of th< Empire as a whole, that we should re main directly attached to tbe Bntisi navy. Second, to combine with tit ■ Commonwealth yh an Australian squadro, means in reality th< establishment o a local fleet for New Zealand as th New Zealand unit of that squadron / Obviously it would be unfair to Australi. and objectionable, to New Zealand for v to be attached to such a squadron unles we paid for our own unit, which wouli thus in effect be a local navy. As , matter of policy for New Zealand, I an against the establishment of a local navy believing as I do that :*: * is better fo us to have the full support of the who! British navy for the protection cf Nev Zealand among the other great interest of th* Empire. Third, New Zealand i ! not giving a contribution 'of £250.000 pc ! annum, but is furnishing one Dread I nougri, and proposes to continue its ocn ' Iribution of £100,000 per annum to th. British navy for tbe purpose of payiiii to New Zealanders on board those ship ! the difference between the Admirals I rates and the local rates of pay. Fourth as Australia has decided to have its ow; local unit it must be to its advantage as Well as that of New Zealand, to hay. a second unit for the Pacific — the China fleet unit being on the China, and Nev Zealand stations. I need hardly assur< you of the cordial feeling of friendshi] which ie entertained by my Govsirninen and the people of New* Zealand for Aus trivia, whose successful development an< progress we take the d-eepest interest in and I desire to express my hearty gooi wishes for the Bhzcess nee only of th<

Commonwealth, but of the v/hole naval policy which its Government in its interests is adopting. — J. G. Ward. It would be seen from- the memoranda that the real poirot irivolved in the first 'instance was whether New Zealand was to detach itself from from the Imperial navy ■.nd join R-ilh Australia- in the provision of )ui Australasian fleet unit. From a perusuaJ of the correspondence the course he had taken in the matter wa«, he rhought, made quite clear. In his opinion the views ho had expressed on behalf of New Zealand .were the shiest and- best from the stand- , Jxrint of Empire as well as that of New Zealand. Referring to the question of MILITARY DEFENCE, Jix Joeoj-a Ward said that very great

attention had been given to that question, and to the organising of tho miiita-ry forces throughout the Empire. IMPORTANT CONCLUSIONS had been arrived at by the conference, but they were at the present of a confidential character, and as some of the recommendations must form the subject of legislation it was not possible for him at present to give distails, but he could say that very valuable work had been done in connection with, proposals for the organisation and control of the land forces in the various parts of the Empire. There would UNIFORMITY OF SYSTEM of regulations and training, and also of arms, equipment, and stores. Provision would be ma/da for the interchange of general staff officers, and also *or a system of intercommunication between the various sectdon3 of tihe Imperial General staff. There were a number of important proposals all bearing in the direction of making efficient forces tihrouighout th^i Empjre. There was, of cottree, no attempt on the part of tlr© j conference to force upon any portion of the j Empire, through its representatives at j the conference, either a compulsory or any ' other system of international training. > Matters of this kind necessarily were left to ,the respective countries to do whatever. ! thsy considered best, as for a conference to attempt to dictate what system should be adopted by any self-governing country ■ would be us-urping-' tho functions of the | country concerned. What had been done, I and which was most valuable, was the a-'loptiop of A GENERAL SYSTEM ' . in the matter of organisation and control, as already indicated, providing for uniformity. The number of men trained by the respective countries must of necessity be left to those countries to settle for themselves. He proposed at an early perfod of the session to submit to Parliament for its consideration and ratification what had been done by him at the conference on behalf of New Zealand. He said that he had every respect for tho«e who differed from the opinion he held as to the importance of our adhering to the British navy proper. It was quite clear to him that, if by any mischance the British navy in a contest \va«. e.o to speak, to break at the centre, small lcoal navies at the ends would be of very little service indeed for the protection of their respective countries. The proper course, therefore, to follow was to ensure that the centre was so strong as to be impregnable. The •ends in such a case would be incomparab'.v stronger and safer than they would be by minor divisions of email fleets, however well intended they might be. 'Another reason that must cf necessity be considered by any of us in New Zealand was the amount tlwt would be involved in establishing a Jocal navy. For in.sta.noe. the idea of a Dreadnought being in New Zealand waters ' alone would scarcely stand examination, for the reason that such a- ship would not only require to be supported by a fleet for ! the purposes of warfare, but at present j there was no dock in the Southern Hem is- ' phere that could take in a Dreadnought, j so that in the event of an accident or a } breakdown of machinery such a vessel could not be accommodated. When, therefore, considering the possibility of New Zealand having a fleet of its own we were faced ! with -the fact that fclvo cost was entirely! beyond the means of this country to undertake. The present Australian squadron, for instance, cost £900,000 a year to maintain, and, after a close examination into the matter, he did not think that a fleet unit in New Zealand waters cculd be maintained j for less han the sum "just named. In addi- I tion, the maintenance and upkeep of a local ' navy woula not be a diminislnimg quantity. I The experience of every country which had I adopted it had shown an increasing outlay j yearly : hence from ewry point of view it j seennKl *o him that the principal of one I great Imperial British navy protecting all J the outlying possessions of the Emphv was t-o be preferred to what he considered tho inffsctive policy of small local fleets.