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Timaru Herald, Volume XCVI, Issue 14922, 14 December 1912, Page 8

"While there is some truth in Sir Wilfrid Laurier's complaint that the Conservative Party in Canada made defence, in connection with the navy, a party question, the Conservatives can well retort that it was Sir Wilfrid's obvious unwillingness to do more for the navy than would he agreeable to a section of the French Canadians which forced them to this policy. The ex-Premier was willing to provide a local navy, but he was full of stipulations as to the terms on which the Imperial Government should have control of it, and a Navy not under instantaneous and unquestioned Imperial control in war time would be useless, and might easily be dangerous to the Empire. Sir Wilfrid stated yesterday in the Canadian Parliament that on hundreds of Quebec platforms during' the election campaign, when the question was asked "What has England done for us?", the audience replied "Nothing." This remarkable indictment of French Canadian patriotism was vigorously denied by members 'of Sir Wilfrid's own party, and we can only conclude that he exaggerated. Certainly the Conservatives' success in the elections, and the reception that has now been given in Canada to Mr Borden's magnificent proposals to assist Imperialism, do not suggest the existence of any adverse feeling strong enough to justify anxiety or timiditv.

In Great Britain defence is treate 1 invariably as a non-party question, and the Conservatives have supported Sir Edward Grey, th<? Foreign Minister, and Mr Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, more strongly than the Liberals. In New Zealand it has always been so treated, and the Hon. James Allen, at the farewell dinner given him in Wellington on "Wednesday night, thanked former Ministers of Defence and Members of Parliament for the way they had treated the defence question. "It was perfect! v true." he said, "that they had never treated the question from a party point of view. It was too serious a question to be so treated. When polities entered into our army or our navy there would be deterioration." We notice Mr Allen also said at this gathering, " There was no reason why Canada, Australia. Xew Zealand, and even Africa should not take part in keeping a nest in the Pacific." The problem of control would be a difficult one. but he had no doubt it would be solved.

Taradale. five miles from Xapier. is the latest town to be attracted by niotor "buses. The claims of the younger vehicle were asserted powerfully on "Wednesday night at what was meant to be a meeting of the Greenmeadows - Taradale Tramway League, but resolved itself, as the result of a misunderstanding, into a public meeting. Mr Hookings, a resident of Taradale who had gone to Australia to study tramways, gave an

account of motor cars which seemed to make more impression on the gathering than his praise of the "best tram service in the Commonwealth," as seen in Adelaide. The driver of a char-a-banc in Adelaide had told him that he had no trouble with the metalled roads. Inspection of another char-a-banc that had come 86 miles in less than eight, hours over a typical Australian bush road, had convinced Mr Hookings that the Taradale-Xapier road was not too rough for 'buses. After hearing the remarks of the man who had gone away to study tramways, the chairman observed that "it was evident that motor 'buses were the things for Taradale," and a motion was carried that delegates from the various public bodies should discuss the whole position with the Tramway League. If trains are installed they will probably be met by competition, since a speaker at the meeting stated that he knew of a syndicate that would, within twelve months, run a service of, motor 'buses from Xapier to Taradale. He would give a guarantee of £SOO that within twelve months a motor service j would be running. I