GIFT BATTLESHIPS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 467, 27 March 1909, Page 14

GIFT BATTLESHIPS.

NEW ZEALAND'S OFFER. VIEWS OP CORRESPONDENTS. We have received the following letters regarding the offer of the Cabinet to present a. Dreadnongbt—and two if neoessary —to the Imperial Government A CRISIS IN THE NATION'S HISTORY. Sir, —I think nearly all New Zealanders will be grateful to Sir Joseph Ward for his prompt offer, on our behalf, of the gift ot a battleship to the British. Government in this crisis. Aid it is 110 mere matter of sentiment, thought sentiment is a matter of no small importance in national warfaro, and the people —in this end of the world's history, when tho spaces of the earth are found somewhat limits! for rival nations— that is not inspired with a strong sentiment of patriotism is on the way to its doom. And what an exceptional spirit of patriotism can do, has been made manifest to all men in the recent history of the Japanese people. But it is no matter of sentiment only. Sir Joseph Ward has realised that the Empire is in deadly peril—and this is evident, when one reflects that Germany has at present no colonies, commercially worth speaking of, that is, the cost of keeping them is much greater than the receipts that tome from them. And when one reflects further, that on account of climate, she can not colonise them with her surplus millions j and yet for all that, her "artisans are working night and day to add to an already maguiiicent fleet; and further, that their great battleships hare so little coaling capacity, that they could not deliver a great battlo any distance from home —when one reflects on all this, one can not but conclude that this fleet is meant for use in the North Sea, or other seas contiguous to the French and British shores. "Surely tho snare of the fowler is laid in vain in She sight of any bird." Nor is this threatening enlargement of ihe German fleet an affair of Government. Count Moltke warned us years ago that going to war had passed from the'decision of Governments to the peoples they governed. The German Naval League— 3,000,000 strong—are always urging the Government to keep enlarging their naval programme, and behind them are every party in the German Empire, including the Socialist. The Naval Leaguo has at least once forced the Government to enlarge their ship-building programme. An industrious and progressive. people want further expan-i sion for their business, and outlets for their surplus population. What they mean by expansion is shown by some of their .maps of not a remote future. In those maps Germany is on the Adriatic; .Holland and Belgium have passed into Germany; and tho British colonies of Canada and Australasia, as British colonies, are not .on the map. There is nothing unnatural in all this. They find the temperate zones of the west and southern seas undor the control of the United Statos or of Great Britain; if their people go there, they become absorbed by the peoples among whom they dwell, and are lost to Germany; they want some of these lands as oolonies of their own. You may say that these are only dreams, but a people who are always working towards their dreams, not unoften accomplish some of them. The desire of colonial and commercial expansion has always been the most deadly cause 'of war. It was the canse of the long wars between Carthage and Rome. Each felt there was not room for both of them in the Mediterranean; , and it ended with one of' them being blotted out. It was the cause of the constant wars between England and France in the eighteenth century; though possibly most Frenchmen and ; Englishmen did not realise it at the, time. We are, then, in deadly peril; for.' so frugal and industrious a people l as ;he Germans would not vote £500,000,000 to be expended on building ships of war within the next ten years, unless they meant to use them. They are not being built fbr' : toys, like children's ships on a 3 tick pond. It would be terrible if Great Britain were surprised and overpowered— for Lord Salisbury warned us years ago, that the nation, once put down, would be kopt down, as war is nowadays too. expenlive for the victors to afford a recurrence of it. Sir Joseph Ward, then, has done a most opportune thing in accentuating the importance of the crisis, by offerin ■ the Home Government the gift of a battleship, and his action will probably evoke a significant response throughout the Empire. Our salvation lies in the working man. If the working man would only devote a portion of his time to foreign politics, and not give it all to home matters, our safety would bo assured. He would at once perceive that the security of the Empire was the first consideration, even for securing his aims in home politics; and the almost certainty, if Great Britain went under, of New Zealand passing into the hands of Germany as one of the terms of peace—l am, etc., ARTHUR TOWGOOD, Marton, March 23. RAPID CONSTRUCTION: A BRITISH EFFORT. "A supreme effort is being made by Messrs. Victors, Sons, and Maxim, limited, at Barrow] to establish a world's record in connection with the bnilding of the now British battleship VaD niard," says the "Daily Mail" of February 11. That a good start has been made is shown by the fact that the keel-plate was laid on April 2, 1908, and that the launching ceremony was performed by Mre. M'Kenna, wife of the First Lord of the Admiralty, on February 22. • "The delivery of the ship (adds the "Mail") is actually due on March 81, 1910, but the builders are hoping that tho seventh British improved Dreadnought will be ready for activo service by the end of this year. An example of the rapidity of construction is the fact that PpO tons of armour plate wero placed in position in nineteen days. • . "The Vanguard will be of 19,250 tons displacement, with a main armament of 12in. guns, each firing two rounds a minute. She is 500 ft. long between perpendiculars, ■ 84ft. beam, and will have engines of 24,500 indicated horsepower. Her cost will be jBI,750,000." ''PUTTING YOUR MONEY INTO BAGS WITH HOLES IN THE BOTTOM." Sir, —The above text from the Bible, to my mind, fully _ illustrates the futile policy of our autocratic Premier and ,his Cabinet,' in this their latest mad scheme of subscribing Dreadnoughts to England. It may be that we -are on the verge of a great European war, and, if so, can any reasonable man suppose that England will be able to leave Battleships lying idle in the Pacific; when she will need every Bpare ship she possesses to guard the great trade routes between herself and America. I venture to think not._ On the very first British reverse, the admiral _of the Australasian squadron _ would receive his sealed orders, and methinks I can hear his commands now, terse and to tho point. "West by nor., and full speed ahead," and all that we poor deluded New Zealanders will have to snow for our squandered millions will be smoke, the smoke from their departing funnels on the horizon. Then the moment has arrived for which the teeming millions of slant-eyed yellow men up North have been patiently awaiting. Troaties and alliances will avail us nothing then, for no law was ever worth anything that lacked the might behind to enforco itself if necessary. I declare "that right now is the time for New Zealand to form a citizen army, with our own arsenals in the interior of each island; and it would be quite unnecessary to import our officers. We want no eye-glassed gentlemen from the Cold Country to lord it over us; we aro quite intelligent enough to elect our own commanders. There aro men amongst us ready and anxious to teach us all they know, men with military experience, men like Sir William Russell, who, though as opposite as the Poles to a great many in politics, would command our utmost confidence and respect on this vital quos.tion of defence. With 100,000 riflemen we can snap our fingers at them all, for tho simple reason it would bo too costly an affair to conquer ns. The Boer war should prove that. Here the difficulties would be far greater and the stake far smaller, and, in plainer language, the game would not bo worth the candle. 1 triilv consider that every healthy male between the of 15 and 50 should bo compelled to. handle a rifle, for our very existence may depend upon this Hi the future.

It is imperative that party differences must be sunk on this important question; we have on the one hand notoriety-seeking politicians and ambitious jingoists squandering the public funds, and, on the other hand, sulky Labour, looking with sour visage on every shilling Bpent in other than public works. If wo won't sink our differences, the Mikado may Bink them for us. Now is the accepted time for a strong, able, and honest man to rise to the occasion who will have for his motto: "A citizen army, and New Zealand for New Zealanders." —I am, RAYMOND TUNE. Petone, March 25. THE UNITED PACIFIC NAVY. A FLEET BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD BE AS SWEET. Sir,—Now that mattors appertaining _to naval defence are engaging public attention, perhaps it may not bo out of place to hear a little amateur advice on how to run a | navy. For years and years arid years I have given a great deal of thought to, and have, i road a great deal about, tights, prize aQ d 1 otherwise, but mostly naval, and I have | formed an opinion whioh I now offer to the great and only New Zealand public. There can be no doubt but that Great Britain, if she .is to hold her title of ' Mistress of the Seas," and, more importantly, if she is-to protect her great trade and her vast and' ever-increasing possessions and dominions, must maintain a "Home Navy" on a full two-Power standard with a /little to if anything. This, of I course, will place additional burdens on the British taxpayer; but it is better to carry an extra load and live than to carry a lighter one and perish in a trench. Of what use is the cabbage patch if the cabbages are to be filched bofore they arc gathered ?_ Why spond twenty millions to attain an inferiority when the expenditure of a few extra millions will ensure undoubted superiority and security r The great British public are, now, probably convinced of these great facts, and we may rest assured that immediate _ steps will be taken to provide and maintain a two-Power standard in full measure. Now, all Ibis relatos, in the mam, to "Home" defence, and though we British inhabitants of Pacific dominions enjoy immunity from European invasion, it is not altogether free from doubt as to whether the existence of the British Navy altogether accounts for tho fact. Many people argue, and they may be right, that, British Navy or no British Navy, no European Power could at present attempt a conquest of any considerable Pacific State. Be this as it may, it does not alter the fact that the inhabitants of India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and of all other British dominions east of Suez and west of Panama, though safe from European invasion, are liable to immediate conquest by tho Asiatic races. True, we have squadrons in different waters in the Pacific and Indian oceans, but they are squadrons in name only. There is not one British battleship in those waters, and, what ships there are, are obsolete, inefficient, hopeless, easy prey for the aggressor: the easier because they are scattered over the face of the waters under different commands, to be taken Bingly and crushed, or to be taken together i»nd still crushed. > ■ Some people treasure'the hope that in the event of war in the Pacific, Great Britain would send a powerful fleet to protect her property. Would she do so at the present juncture? "Could she afford to do so, if sue would? Is she any more likely to be able to do so in the future? Could she do so in time to avoid a calamity? These and a host of others are questions oyer which we may well ponder. .We have been dependent upon the British taxpayer long enough. We have lately assumed a title which suggests that we recognise our greater, responsibilities, so let us, Tor tho future, depend a little more upon ourselves and prove ourselves worthy of our name and worthy of our noble forbears. Australia shows signs that she is conscious that she must put her hair up and lengthen her skirts: she wants a navy of her own, and has started to acquire one: a most hairbrained scheme. She prepares a sweet little gift for Japan, and Japan will take it when inclined that way. Modern naval warfare has given us a new axiom: according to Dewey, according to Togo, it is laid down, "In time of war, the woaker fleet is a gift to the stronger hostile fleet." Australia, with her absurdly small population, has no chance, within the next century at least, of maintaining a fleet capable of giving fight to the Japs, or .Chinese, and, when war does come, the Japs, or trie Chinese, as the case may bo, will assume the Australian fleet: will accept •the gift so sweetly prepared. What applies to Australia applies in a greater or lesser degree to the other British possessions according to their greater or lesser population. But what each cannot do alone might be done by all combined, and where division is weakness, union' will be strength. . What we require is a British Pacific squadron on a two Pacific-Power basis, maintained, if not built and paid for, by the British dominions beyond the seas: a homogeneous two-Power Dreadnought fleet united (not subdivided into useless divisions), and quartered not here, there and everywhere, but bang up alongside of the quarter whence trouble is .expected. We want a fleet in its right place, not scrap, iron at social functions. If we want such a fleet we must pay for it, and pay for it upon a population basis; India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and minors, each according to its census. Now Zealand affords a battleship for the Home Fleet, and can afford another if required. Very well, lert her subscribe that other to the British Pacific two-Power Navy. If New Zealand can afford one Dreadnought, Australia can give four, Canada five, and India— weil, let us say ten, and there we have it. Smaller and obsolete boats can do the police work, punitory expeditions, etc. This is the scheme that I scheme for the first line of defence, and if New Zealanders approve let us approach our cousins, convince them, and have the work done, and—ahem— if we can afford it, pay for it.—Yours loyally, P. B. FITZHERBERT. Dannevirke, March 23, 1909. BATTLE OR BOYCOTT. To the Editor. Sir, —Tho grand old signal speaks yet—not to England now—but to the British Empire —Britons expect that every man will do his duty. And, sir, Britons as a rule dread nought and fear nought, and I think it will be a bad day for Germany when onoe the Lion is roused. Should. Britain be forced to fight, it will be a costly affair, without counting the ruin of trade. Not only Britain, but the whole civilised world will suffer simply through the obstinacy of a haughty aristocracy. If some of our clover men could tot up the. probable oost, say, of a twelve months' engagement with a nation like Germany, taking things in all its bearings—value of ships, stores, ammunition (or, say, general munitions of war), loss of trade, etc., and make up a rough total, then total up tho whole of tho German goods received from that country during a whole year, and see which would be the greater advantage—to declare war or declare a boycott. Britain and her colonies can be supplied from other countries, and so cripple Germany's sword arm. Britain would survive, but Germany would go under, and it would teacJi them a lesson, and save the lives of the flower of Britain. This question is well worth considering in all its phases. Some may think it cowardly to boycott, but in a national matter of this kind cast sentimentality to the dogs. We hear of Keir Hardie evorlastingly prating rot—let him go and join the Gorman band if he wishes, as judged by his published utterances he should be regarded as a traitor to his country—to which he has, I suppose, as a member of Parliament, sworn allegiance. Should war oomo I am convinced that there is an electric current running through the whole Empire that will enable ua to face the enemy to a .man.—l am, etc., HENRY WALTON. Waikanae, March 23, 1909.