OUR NAVAL DEFENCE.

Clutha Leader, Volume XL, Issue 45, 5 December 1913, Page 3

OUR NAVAL DEFENCE.

GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS. RILL PASSED BY THE HOUSE. WELLINGTON. Dec. 3. In the House ot Representatives this afternoon Hop. J. Allen (Minister for Defence) moved the second reading ot the Naval Defence Bill. He said that the present proposals of Government did not go m the direction of providing large naval bases. Ihe total Government expenditure would be _ a little over £250,000 a ; year, but the training-ship expenditure would not exceed £IOO,OOO. It was also proposed to carry out the Admiralty's directions concerning the enlargement of the dock at Auckland. Speaking ot Canada s position in relation to naval defence, he said that her undoubted duty was to 'make a handsome contribution to the Imperial Navv. because ui her present state she must depend for the defence of her Atlantic coasts upon the fleet in the North Sea. So far as the Paci- j fie shores were concerned he hoped that ( the dav would come when she would i join with the Imperial authorities ml makiii" adequate provision for the safe- j tv of "that coast. Our first duty was to perfect our land defence. New Zealand should recognise the necessity tor t-ontrol hv the British Admiralty, as it was necessary to preserve one control. He did not think New Zealand Australia, Africa and Canada should leave everything in the future to the «o!e control of the Admiralty. They should take steps to formulate some controlling authority comprising representatives from the dominions. Sir J. G Ward (Leader of the Opposition) said that some of the proposals were ofr a most dangerous character. We were but a country of 1,000,000 r ople. with a revenue of £11.000.000 or £12,000,000 annually. If Mr Allen's proposals were, as he said, simply the paying of our own training-ship complement, why did he suggest that one ship could protect our' ocean routes? He thought that the Minister should have given his fullest confidence to the House, both with regard to the interview he had with the Australian naval authorities and the Admiralty. If Mr Allen allowed the inference to go forth that the Admiralty p'-essed a separate Navy on him, then the First Lord of the Admiralty must be accused of having two policies. He asked who was responsible for the complete reversal of tlie agreement signed by him and by the Admiralty ? What he had done for New Zealand while at Home had been endorsed by the highest men in the Admiralty, and was diametrically opnosed to the policy of Australia, though he agreed that they had their own destinies to work out.

When the House resumed in the evening Sir J. G. Ward, continuing, said that they were committing theintelves to an unknown amount. It Slave power to whatever Government was in power to raise any forces it thought fit. Our annual expenditure mi a local navy would be £480,0(10. making a total for defence with the New Zealand forces of £985.047. which would increase annually. In five years it would cost another £500,000. He would saoner see the Government come down with a fixed amount or give another Dreadnought than the proposals submitted. Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister) traced th: history of New Zealand's contribution since the time wlh-ii it was imt £20,000 .annually. Recently the Au-traliai\ Squadron had been withdrawn, so that at the moment there was no protection for New Zealand excepting two light cruisers. He challenged any member tp look at the Bill and see If there was provision for the expenditure of one penny outside £IOO,OOO. Early this year they had offered the Imperial Government a further £50.000 a year if two Bristols wvrv 6?nt out here as originally arranged. Mr Russell (Avon) contended that the Dominion could not bear the enormous expense of n local navv. Hi.n. W. H. Herriea (Minister for Railwavs and Native Affairs) argued that the Bill was necessary because there had been a change of policy on the part of the Admiralty.

Mr Wilford (Hint) declared that he raild rather vote £'140.000 annually towards the Imperial Navy than attempt the formation of a. local navv. Eon. F. M. B. Fisher (Minister' for Marino) contended that the rolicy of the. Admiralty wa.s that the dominions M'milrl look after the outposts of the "mpire while the Old Country looked after the heart of things -it. Home. Thnt wa.s the policy of the Bill, which contained the germ of n. national r-olicv. In l-eplv Hon. J. Allen said that he wra'd not disclose all the contents of tlie documents received from the Admiralty, p.s they had the word "f-ecret" on them. He made no definite fivaime- . mcits with the Admiralty. All that had In-;;n done was tentp+i''" s'"l subject to the approval of Parliament, 'hov hoped to get 80 me" for the Philomel during next year. Thev could r.oi i-'iigage an unlimited number of *cn b'vause they could not nay them. ° (:"" should raise a'n* objection to 'W Zealand beins made a reemitingjround for the defence of the Empire. the Psyche and Pyramus sowed the JtoTposr of protecting the trade routes, '"it oiio Bristol could do as much as the two together. llie Hou.se divided on the .«econd readme, the voting being as follows—£V''s C']}: Allen. Anderson, Bell. R. »: Bollard, Campbell, Coates, Dickson, fjshei. Fra*er, Guthrie. Harris. Her- "?', Hine. Hunter, Malcolm, Mander, Jla-.sey, Nosworthv, Okev, Pearce, Pomare. R e ed, Rhodes (2). Scott, F. H. *mith. Statham Sykes, G. M. Thom*°n. "\A ilkinson. Young. Pairs: J. Bollarl Puick, Buchanan. Escott, FerdNewman. Lee, Wilson. Noes 'f'): Atmore, Brown, Buddo, Buxton, u-aisd,., Ell. Forbes, Glover. Mac--s>nald. Ngata, Parata, Robertson, Kussell. Seddon. Sidev. J. C. ThomVeitch, Ward, 'Webb, Wilford, IJ'ttv. Pairs: Colvin. Dickie, Isitt, «"011. R. w. Smith, Clark, Davey. Ihe House went into committee on w Bill. "ii' I. (J. Ward moved an amend»»nt to test the feeling of the House a!i to whether members were willing to * u Ppon the proposal for a separate navv or whether a referendum be taken •More the severance from the Imperial • m? "' aH completed. E Ihe amendment was lost bv 31 votes , 18.

.The Bill was eventually put through J'lits stages and the House rose at 3.30 *•». until 4 p.m.