MR FISHER ON NAVAL AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 15, 5 June 1914, Page 4

MR FISHER ON NAVAL AFFAIRS.

LOCAL NAVY .\OT PROPOSED BY ■£ GOVERNMENT. _____ -r'-«i Per Press Association. Wellington, Last Night '"i The Hon. P. M. B. Fisher addressed a "' meeting at Eastbourne to-night. Pealing with: naval defence, the Minister said there was an impression aboard <—at the Government was going to establish. .;;; a local navy, This wafc> untrue and ah- ~|) su<r.lly wrong. Such a story was a straw '""'<■ .-. man set up by the Opposition to whfajr.J ; lli'oy set light and danced arouncWyßf t c,' r ', fully. The Gtovemiment did notwaf 'J$ New Zealand to be cut off from Q«P;■";*.£ Britain at any price, and to this en* " Sjs had inserted a clause in last Naval Bill, which said that in the event \ of a declaration of war between Great „jj

Britain and another power the men or . "\ vovscls in New Zealand water* sMwild ■' 'J pass automatically to the control of tbe - u Admiralty, In 1000 fAe Imperial G«v- ' eminent agreed to send out two Bristol ' -j oruiscrs and two dedtrovers to. N«ir j& Zealand, H.M.S. New Zealand remaining '| in Home waters. After some delay, th* .'■* British Government foMnd it in-MvisaWc || to send out the Bristol*, and New Ze»- «s land would have to be content with tt» Phvwehe and Pyranvus, and Mie Phfl»- • ' 'r nicl, which were ofrotetc, and useful only n* training ship**. It would o* j better fo r tliie Dominion to have on* \ijj good ship than three useless one*