NAVAL PROTECTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 90, 7 April 1914, Page 4

NAVAL PROTECTION.

The "LyHelton Times" points out that a glance backward at the naval records of twenty years ago shows that Australia and New Zealand were much more effectively warded by warships in those days than they are now. In 1893 there wen- in all fifteen ships of the Navy quartered in this part of the world, headed by H.M.S. Orlando, the flagship, of 5000 tons, with engine.-, of 8500 horse-power, and twelve guns. H.M.S. Curacoa, a screw corvette of 2380 tons, was the next in order of the Queen's ships, and then there were the Royalist, the Rapid and smaller vessels. Beside these there were the seven ships of the Australian auxiliary squadron, the Katoomba, Mildura, Ringarooma. Tauranga and Wallaroo, each of 2675 tons, 7500 horse-power and eight guns, and the gunboats Boomerang and Karrakatta. One or two of these ships were usually in the South Sea Islands, but all the rest were always in Australian or New Zealand waters. The Bristol cruiser, of winch Ministers are now talking by day and dreaming by night, no doubt will he a great advance on even the Orlando, but even with that coming ship and Aus tralia's fleet the fact remains that twenty years ago those colonies were relatively far more secure against hostile cruisers than they are to-day.