The Star. MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1893. Naval Defence.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4817, 4 December 1893, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1893. Naval Defence.

Colonists, those of New Zealand especially, should be well pleased that the English Government haß been induced to bestir itself and to look to the naval defences of the Empire, for it ia to the navy that, under present conditions, we must look for our defence against the foreign foe— the only foe who is likely to trouble us. Oar land defences are a sham, albeit an expensive one, and whether or not they will remain bo depends, seemingly, upon a public opinion which has not hitherto concerned itself much with the matter. Doubtless the apathy which has so long possessed rulers and ruled in regard to the question of defence is based, to a great extent, on the comfortable theory that Britannia rules the waveß, that the naval supremacy of Great Britain is absolute. This theory has received a rude shock from the extensive naval preparations of France and Eussia, the two powers which will be England's antagonists in the conflict which must, almost inevitably, enßue ere the war cloud now hanging over Europe passes away. It was supposed to be a principle of British naval administration that the Eoyal Navy should be eqnalin strength to that of France and any other European Power combined. This is far from being the caße now. It has been pointed out that Great Britain has now built or is building sixty ironclads, while France and Eueßia together have seventy. Of the3e, twenty-seven English and twenty-nine French and Russian ships are in commission. The efforts which the two foreign Powers are making to increase their cruisers, gun-boats and torpedo veES?ls are on a par with the activity they have displayed in the building of ironclads. England has had, it iB true, a programme for strengthening the navy in course of being carried, . out for a considerable time, but the rate at which the augmentation was conducted was Blow compared 'with that at whioh other nations were increasing their naval armamente. It was too slow for English public opinion, which has, at last, being thoroughly alarmed by the Franco-Russian alliance. OE course the first approaches towards the Government on behalf of a more energetic policy in naval administration were met with the stereotyped reply that everything was "as right as right could be." Public opinion, however had been aroused, and was not to be lulled into false security by official utterances. The English Press took the matter up ; Lord Charles Beresford came forward with a scheme of naval construction which was approved by experts of the highest rank, and now it appears that " something is to be done." It is to be hoped, for the sake of the British Empire in general, and of defenceless Colonies like New Zealand in particular, that that something may be adequate to the requirements of the position, and that it may be done before the almost inevitable war breaks out.