GIFT BATTLESHIPS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 470, 31 March 1909, Page 7

GIFT BATTLESHIPS.

. 4 COVERNMENT'S OFFER CRITICISED. VIEWS OP THE NATIVES' ASSOCIATION. The action of the Government in offering a Dreadnought te Great Britain came in for sonio severe criticism at Inst night's meeting of tho New Zealand Natives' Association. Mr. A. H. Vile-moved: 'IThat in the opinion of this meeting tho action of the Government in making an oft'or to the Imperial Government towards tho Navy is a very proper one." The Chairman: It's up-to us to say something about it. It's our money. Mr. G. T. London seconded tho motion. Ho thought that at tho present juncture it was a wiso act on tho part of the Government. . Mr. Leigh Hunt characterised tho action of tho Government as very unbecoming, most improper, and unconstitutional, and said that more would be heard of the matter. It was a great unkindncss to tho Old Country, and unconsciously our Government had compromised her statesmen to a certain oxtent. If the war scaro was only a political move, wo would experience tho same regrets as after tho South African war. The gift should not havo been tinged with melodramatic effect, • as i was the caso. Even yet, ho added, the decision might bo vetoed. The chairman (Dr. F. Wallace Mackenzie) considered it inadvisable to pass the resolution. He thought that not only, had the Government committed a grave constitutional error, but had acted in a way that brought Great Britajn to a position of ridiculo before tho nations, as was shown by Germany in snapping her fingers at Great Britain over the Servian question. Ho did not believe tho Government had any right tp give away tho money without consulting Parliament. A voice: Hear, hear. They havo not dono so. Tho Chairman: I hope Parliament will consider tho matter . carefully. Of courso, i' Britain needs assistance, all possible' should bo done, but we havo to borrow tho money rtnnJ'f an >' Ilow - (Laughter.) If that £2,000,000 were spent 01 guns for New Zealand, tho case would he different, because of tho British fleet wore beaten in tho Channel —as it will be unless Germany is fought soon—it would be impossible to get them. Mr. London: Britain bo beaten ? Never I The Chairman: Yes, beaten. Botter teach tho boys how to fight than to support tho Old Country. . Mr. Vile: If our Government thinks it recessary, we as patriots should endorso tho ret ion taken.

Further discns-io.i tcok place, during which it was suggested that it would not bb uiso to submit the motion to tho meeting, and Mr W. H. Bennett moved that tho motion bo not put. This was carried, and tho discussion ended. "UNCONSTITUTIONAL." INTERFERENCE IN BRITISH PARTY POLITICS. (ni TELEGiura-nmss association.) Chrlstchurch, March' 80. Yesterday Mr. T. E. Taylor, M.P., sent tho following cable message to tho i Prime Minister of Groat Britain .—"Cabinet's offer ot Dreadnought nuido without consultation larlmment or people. Thero is increasing ieeling that offer was unconstitutional and an unfortunate interference in British party politics. Behove Parliament would gladly mcreaso naval subsidy.—T. E Tavlor member Christchurch North." * HISTORY OF THE NAVAL SUBSIDY. HOW SIR J. G. WARD VOTED IN 1887 (by Tm.rmun.-MMxur. rauusroNhMr.) Ti, «t> .. ? hr 1 l . stoh »reli, March 30. nfti nrW v d « ul '»S editorially with the attitude of New Zealand towards its Navy, points out that -it is only twenty-two years sinco Parliament agreed to contribute n modest £2.0,000 per annum to the Navy and calls to mind the fact that Sir Joseph' Ward paired against the Bill giving effect to that proposal. The Naval Defence Act of 1887 was brpiwht down by the then Premier, the late Sir Harry Atkinson, at a timo when g cat economy was necessary in the management of the colonial finances, and when own tho oxpondituro of many thousands a year on somotlnn- oiits.de tho immediate wants clsiLS ™ a mate ***** "»»

''Sir Harry Atkinson had been reading with 2 roat interest Seeley's 'ExpansiTof Jingland, and was much struck with tile broad Imnonal views therein laid down. Ho ! m tl !', s first tentative recognition of the bute towards the common defenco of the Umpire, the germ of a firmer and broader basis of union m the future. Ho told the House that the measure appeared to him t<i bo the hrst real step m uniting the colony in closer bonds with the Old Country. "Sir Julius Vogel supported the Bill, but (sir tteo. Grey, apparently unable to sink his party feelings for the good of the Empire, contented himself with a few querulous remarks as to tho Bill having been brought down so Into in the session, and tho refusal of the _ Government to state how members had paired upon it. In IDO7, tho first Naval Uclence Act havni 2 expired, a second Bill bearing the same title was brought down by the Hon. W. Hall-Jones, extending the provisions of the previous Act for a further ten years. "Another illustration of the stran<*o revenges which the whiiligig of itime brincn about m polities is found in the fact that tho Hon. Mr. Hogg who is now a member of ol the Dreadnought Cabinet, remarked in tho course of the debate in 1901: 'I „m not aware that we arc so extremely wealthy that wo can aftord to emulate the Empire in maintaining a huge naval fleet, but oven if we could afford it, the Mother Country has not yet invited us to risk financial complication! by emptying the contents of Treasury down the capacious throat of the Admiralty.' "