COLONIAL NAVAL DEFENCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1540, 23 April 1887, Page 2

COLONIAL NAVAL DEFENCE.

[rEUTBR'S TSLEGRAMSr-OOJPTRIGHT.] f 1 MELBOURNE; April 22. 1 Sir G. Berry telegraphs on April iJ i with regard to Australian defences 3 stating that. the Admiralty insisted or 1 the Australasian colonies paying fiv< t per cent for depreciation, as well a; j for maintenance of the fleet m Australian waters, the Admiralty undert taking extra expenditure m case o ; war. The total colonial expenditure s would therefore be on 1 1 peace footing. The Admiralty woulc . find the additional sum when it should . be found necessary to put the fleet or a war footing. Mr Gillies, replying tc t the Agent-General to-day, states thai A he understands the Admiralty will fine j the number and class of vessels pro- , vided for m Admiral Tryon's scheme j for Australasian defence, which woulc j involve a total expenditure 0^626,000 s the colonies contributing as above foi r a term of ten years. He adds that, ir order to secure unity of action on the part of the colonies, the Victoria^ Government have no objection tc acquiesce m the Admiralty's proposal, ; subject to the approval of Parliament [. The South Australian and Queensland ', Governments have telegraphed to then I delegates to the Imperial Conference, authorising them to agree to the above proposals.