THE BRITISH NAVY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9408, 31 March 1909, Page 5

THE BRITISH NAVY.

SECOND EDITION.

MR T. E. TAYLOR’S CABLEGRAM.

Mr Taylor, in giving a reporter liis reasons for sending his cablegram to the British Prime Minister, said: —“After crusultatiun with people iu Chrii icliv.r u. Worth am! with other persons, 1 felt that it was a wise tiling to send the cablegram. “We believe the bulk of the excitement past week or two has been worked -up by the Conservative party in England, and was prompted- more by- a > desire to discredit the Liberal Administration and to embarrass the British Premier than by any feeling that there was real danger of an immediate conflict with Germany. My own feeling is that the whole incident- is a fine illustration of the confusion that will arise if colonial Governments interfere with the coarse of British politics unless an actual crisis is known to exist. v “The Liberal Government at Home has tried,to carry oat a programme of reform, which has naturally aroused the antagonism of the Conservative and capitalistic classes. Most desperate efforts have been made to impede the passage of the Government’s Bills, and, except in regard to the Old Age Pensions Bill, the Conservative forces iu the House of Commons and the House of Lords have combined successfully to block the progress of social re form

“The New Zealand Government’s interference in the naval dispute has provided the Conservative party in the House of Commons with one cf the most weapons for electioneering purposes that that party had any hope to possess. If the New Zealand Parliament had been consulted before the impetuous offer was made by the New Zealand Government, it is almost certain that this consideration would have been pressed on Sir Joseph Ward, and be would at least have been forced to ascertain before rushing into the arena of British party politics that an Imperial crisis calling for demonstrations" from the British-dependencies really existed. “For these reasons, and because of the majority of the people with whom I have been able to discuss the subject during the past week feel that a violation of party right has been perpetrated, the cable message was sent Home to-day. “1 may add that there is also a strong feeling tnat the attitude of the newspapers of New Zealand on this _ question does not voice the opinion of the majority of the people in the country. One of the most extraordinary features of the Government’s offer is the dispatch by the Prime Minister to the editors of the newspapers of a panic telegram, lb led the editors to believe that the Government was in possession of information nob at the time revealed to the public through the newspapers, to the effect that the conditions at Home called for extraordinary action on the part of the New Zealand Government. It seems, to be increasingly clear that the impetuous action of the Government was prompted by a more than childish desire to get ahead of Australia and other countries in,. ' a demonstration of loyalty to the Empire. A few more incidents like this will do more to strengthen the movement towards independence which is rapidly growing in Canada and Australia. The quiet dignity of the Australian authorities and of the Canadian Governm eut is in marked contrast to the plnnging diplomacy of our own Government.”