THE COLONIST. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1914. THE PEACE OF THE PACIFIC.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13448, 2 June 1914, Page 4

THE COLONIST. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1914. THE PEACE OF THE PACIFIC.

The Hon. A. L. Herdmak added his quota to what can^be said for the Government's wavering ideas about naval defence, in his address at Methven last week. The Reformers are obviously growing more and more uncomfortable in the position in which they have been placed by their anxiety to accomplish something different from the policy Sir Joseph Ward laid down for the Dominion to follow in defence matters, the Imperial policy which is unquestionably the soundest. The Government has seized upon the possibility of an Imperial Defence Conference being held before long as a pretext for deferring the inauguration of the local navy scheme evolved by the Minister of Defence in defiance of the best naval opinion at Home, and in the meantime no fixed policy is offered for the Dominion's consideration. In his Methven speech Mr.Herdman probably made |he most of the available arguments to support the Government, but he did not throw any fresh light on the position. "There is a general consensus of opinion," he;said, "that such matters as the making of Avar and of peace, and the conducting of the operations of war, should be entirely under the control of Great Britain. Then I believe it is generally thought throughout. New Zealand that the Japanese Alliance, so much relied upon by the. Admiralty for the protection of the Pacific and New Zealand, is not satisfactory as a means of defence for us. That being so, we are faced with two considerations. We must either take what the Admiralty offers us in. the form of a fleet for the defence of our shores, or we must build a ship of our own to supplement that force. If we think the defence provided by Great Britain is insufficient, then we must build a ship of our own, but by adopting this course we are not bound to build a navy' of our own." This, of course, virtually disregards • the fact that the integrity of the Empire is an Imperial responsibility, whether certain of the Dominions elect to take a part in their own naval defence or not, and that the British authorities make such disposition of the forces at their command as they think is best calculated to ensure adequate protection. Circumstances have altei'ed since Sir Joseph Ward effected an arrangement for the stationing of an Imperial squadron in New Zealand waters, and the alteration has made it inadvisable in the Admiralty's opinion that that arrangement, which Mr. Herdman says would have been satisfactory, should be carried into effect at present. It is more essential that the strength of the Navy should be concentrated elsewhere. Mr. Herdman has followed the example of others in playing upon the distaste of the country for the idea of defence by Japan in order to placate public opinion in regard to the local navy project. The theory ,- that the Japanese Alliance is "much ' relied upon" by the Admiralty for the defence of the Pacific is not a fair interpretation of British policy. It is true, of course, that in the improbable contingency of New Zealand becoming involved in war, the British Government could call upon Japan for aid under the terms of the treaty. The real bearing of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance upon the defence of the Pacific, however, and this is the light in which it was obviously viewed by the First Lord of the Admiralty in his much discussed speech on the Naval Estimates, is that it secures the friendship of the nation whose development arouses misgiving in the hearts of the local navy advocates in New Zealand and Australia. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance, was revised and renewed in 1911, and remains in force for ten years from the date of signature, namely, July 13th of that year. In the circumstances it is not unnatural that the Imperial authorities should be averse to detaching an eit'ective unit from a part of the Empire where it is wanted, and sending it for service in another part where no particular danger is to be apprehended. That fact by no means lessens the absurdity of a country like New Zealand launching out upon the creation of a navy oi' its own.