IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13991, 28 August 1909, Page 5

IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

THE AUSTRALIAN NAVY

Press Association-By Telegraph-Copyright MELBOURNE, August 27. Mr Deakin states that it is probable that the .strength of the Australian Navy will involve a constructional cost of something'like £3,000,0110.. AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT. OF INTENSE. INTEREST, Received 11.1.0 p.m., August 27th. LONDON, . August 27. In tlio House of Conmioiis, Mr Asqnith, the Prime Minister, replying to Mr W. IT. Long, made a statement regarding the Defence Conference which was listened to with intense interest. Recalling the fact: tha,t the .Conference had been convened to discuss the general question of naval and military defence, with special reference to the recent proposals from New Zealand, Australia, and the Canadian House of Commons resolution of 29th March, Mr Asquith said that its decisions as far as the delegates of the Dominions were concerned were, subject to the approval of the various Parliaments. The South African delegates did not consider themselves to be in a position to submit positive proposals until union was an accomplished fact. After the main conference, a foreign offensive, military conference was held at the War Office, which led'to agreement on the fundamental principles embodied in the papers which had been prepared by the general staff for the delegates' consideration. The substance of these papers, which would be included among the papers published, was a. recommendation that, without destroying each dominion's complete control over the military forces raised within it, these forces should be standardised ; the question of formation of units, arrangements for transport, pattern of- weapons,, etc., being as far as possibile assimilated to those recently worked out for the British Army. Thus, while the dominion troops in each ease would be-raised for the defence of the dominion concerned, it was made readily practicable in case of need that the dominion should mobilise and use them in defence of the Empire as a whole. ,

The military conference entrusted a sub-conference of experts from headquarters and the dominions, presided over by Sir W. Nicholson, acting for the first time as chief of the Imperial General Staff, with the duty of working out the. detailed application of these principles. The creation early in 1900 of an Imperial General Staff was thus brought into active working. It was the result of the. conference held in 1907. The sub-conference ..reached complete agreement, their conclusions being finally approved by the main Conference and the Committee of Imperial Defence. The result is a plan of so organising the forces of the Crown wherever they are, that while preserving each dominion's complete autonomy should the dominions desire to assist in the detence. of the •Empire iri a case of real emergency, their forces can be readily combined into one homogenous Imperial army.' i

Dealing with naval defence, r Asquith said that the Admiralty's memorandum, which had been submitted to the dominions' representatives, formed the basis of the preliminary conferences: The alternative methods which might he adopted by the jlomirtion Governments in cooperation with Imperial naval defence were discussed.

New Zealand preferred to adhere to her present policy of-contribution. Canada and Australia preferred to* lay the foundation of their own fleets. Jt was recognised that-in building a fleet a number of conditions should be. conformed to. The fleet must be .if a certain size; in - order to offer a permanent, career to.those engaged in the service, the personnel should _be trained and disciplined under, .regulations similar to. those of.: the Royal Navy, in order to ; allow:of interchange and union between the. British, and dominion services,, and with the same object the standard, of. vessels and armaments should be uniform.

The remodelling'of the squadrons in' (he Far East ■ was considered on a l.a.sis of establishing' a. Pacific fleet consisting of three units in the East Indies, Australia and the, China seas, each comprising, with some variations, one Indomitable, three cruisers of the Bristol tvne, six destroyers of the I'iever class, and three C submarines. The generous offer, first of New Zealand, then of the Commonwealth, to contribute to Imperial defence, each givinfa battleship, was accepted, with the substitution of Indomitables for battleships, these, two ships to be maintained, one on the China and one on the Australian station. Separate meetings were held at the Admiralty, with representatives of Canada and Australia and New Zealand, and general statements' were agreed unon in each case for further consideration by the respective Govern-

ments. • Regarding Australia, the suggested arringement is with some .temporary cssi.stance from the Tinperinl funds, that the Commonwealth should provide and maintain an Australian unit in the Pacific fleet. Now Zealand's contribution would be aoolied towards the maintenance of the China unit, whereof some of the smaller vessels would have New Zenland as their headquarters. New Zealand's armoured cruiser would be stationed in China.