THE NAVAL CONFERENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11870, 7 June 1909, Page 5

THE NAVAL CONFERENCE.

Dispatches from home GU VERMiviEiNT.

CONFERENCE TO BE PURELY CONSULTATIVE. , ■

Tho dispatches that have passed between the Home Government and the Government of the Commonwealth, which are presumably similar to* those received in' New Zealand, were laid on the table of the -Australian Parliament last week. V ■ AUSTRALIA'S READINESS. Tho first of the' corresppndence. shows that on March 722 tlie Prime Minister of the Commonwealth telegraphed to the Governor-General" at Colac (Victoria) that, while the attitude o f the , Government was- that Australia should provide for its d>yn 'defence, fctill, m 'the. event of any eriiergency, the resources of the CoirimoirVealth would be cheerfully placed at the disposal of the Mother Country. . X X ... ' On April 29 the. Government received a cable frorii ythe\ Imperial authorities suggestingYthe desirability of a conference of representatives of -the! selfgoverning dominions at the earliest- suit^ able date, to consider definite lines of; co-operation for naval defence *pf the Empire. . On May 4 the Government cabled concurring m the yiews of the Imperial Government^ nnd announcing that it would send n delegation to the proposed conference .on . military and naval defence. ■" MESSAGE FROM MR ASQUITH. On May T a cable was received from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated April ZO, forwarding a message from the Imperial Prime Minister (Mr Asquith), sotting out the resolution carried hi the Canadian House .Of Commons on March Y29; Expressing, among otlier things, Y the firm conviction that whenever ' need arises Canadian people will bo fouiid ready arid willing to make any sacrifice that is 7required to give to the ■ Imperial' authorities' • the most loyal artd heai-ty co-operation m every riioyeriient for! the maintenance of the '.integrity 'arid honor! of tlie Empire. ' "I understand," the Imperial Pririie Minister went on, "that the Dominiori Government proposes that its Ministers of Defence should come at anXearly, date to confer with .the Imperial riayal and military authorities upon -technical matters arising m that resolution. Hit Majesty's Government have al£o before therii, recent patriotic proposals made by Australia $nd" New - Zealand ; pro*-! posals niost highly appreciated by the Mother country, and demanding very cordial and care ful consideration, both as to principle and detail. I desire, therefore, to commend to you the following important suggestion, viz. : — That a conference of representatives ol the self-governing dominions, convened under the terms of resolution 1 of the conference of 1907, which provides foi such subsidiary conferences, should be held m London early iii next July' The object of the cohferenc-c will be to discuss general questions of naval and military ' defence of, the Empire, with special reference to the Canadian resolution, and to tho proposals from Australia and New Zealand to wtych I liuVe referred. I agsumo that, as the tonimitation ' will bo. generally upon; technical or ejuasi^technieal. naval and military matters that the other Governmentso of the setf -governing domiriions will elect to obe represented, as iri the case of Canada, by their Minister of Defence, or failing them by somfe other member of the Government; assisted by an ? expert to advise; but it is entirely ■ for the Government of Australia tp= decide the precise form of its representation. . The 'conference vyill be of a purely consultative character, and .yill be held m private, and its deliberations will be assisted by the presence of members of other expert advisers of his Majesty's Goyernment. I am addressing a similar message to other members, of the Imperial Conference." FROM LORD CREWE. " _-„-" The Secretary of State for the Colonies (Lord Ciievve) stated : "I aiii strongly of opinion that, an early confidential exchange of views between his Majesty* Government and the Governments' of his Majesty's self-governing dominions beyond the. seas will bo: of the greatest mutual advantage, una I therefore trust that the Prime Minister and hjft colleagues will see their to rtdp|p the proposal." __u_ COMMONWEALTH'S ACCEPT- ' ANCE.- 7-Y 7, On May 13 a cable was dispatched that the date df the ' conference at the end of July would be acceptable to the Commonwealth Government, and that tho names of the representatives would be sont m a few days. ..'.'.. Later a message was received expressing tho gratification of thelriiperial Government at the readiness of the Federal Government to take part m the conference, and hoping that it would shortly bo possible to fix a definite and convenient date. / ' X , V SIR. JOSEPH WARD AND THE ■ BATE. ■■"...' ! .A cable was received frorii tho Secretary of State for the Colonies that the ; New Zealand Goyernment desired earnestly to attend tho conference, but pointing out it was inipqssible lor its Ministers to be present until tho new Parliament had been convened and. voted supplies. The date of conference should (Consequently bo fixed not later, than tho last w£ek of July. It -was believed by the New, Zealand Government that-, the cbufSo ; : proposeej, by His Mjijesty^ Government was m the best interests _of the Enipire, and jt expressed the -opinion (•whip^ yv&s shared by his Majesty's Government) that-it would bo a matter for much regret if, through not being able to postpone meeting the new Par-; liamentyNew Zealand could l^ot be represented. His .Majesty's ■ Government therefore' trusted; that it would be possible tei! arrange for delegates frorii Aus.tralia' 1 tii attend at .tlml'eh'd of July. STATEMENT BY SIR J. G. WARD. Sir Joseph ..Ward, wl^n seen by a DtHninuhv reporter, -'-fctate'd. tliat the last paragraph qf the above did not convey the position correctly, so far as New Zealand WEW conjeprned; : Hp proposed to "lilace the whole matter before ; Pai tiameut; and the sequenco* of 'tho cablo- - grains must bo read before the position .could' J}e ' uhdpv»tppd'. ,X ■