The Dominion. MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1909. THE NEW NAVAL SITUATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 599, 30 August 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1909. THE NEW NAVAL SITUATION.

The rough outline of the points of agreement arrived at by the members of the Imperial Defence Conference disclosed to the British Parliament by Mr, Asquith indicates the beginning of an entirely, new naval situation. As before, there will be but one Navy for tho Empire, but it will bo a Navy composed of units drawn from the overseas Dominions as well as from the Motherland. The effect of this changed condition of affairs will not of course bo of immediate importance, but tho development which will certainly follow may be expected to influence the futuro of the whole world. The part whioh New Zealand will play under the new state of things is a comparatively insignificant one. This is in a measure due to the relative smallnesa of our country and population, as well an to the line o{ policy pursued by gin Joseph Wasd,

We,. howeverj deal with' that aspect' of the position in another article, and need not refer to it further here. Canada and Australia play the leading roles in the new situation, and it muet be admitted that .our sister Dominions have set a magnificent example to the rest of the Empire of ,a high and courageous recognition of the responsibilities of the overseas Dominions in the matter of naval dofence. Their.decision to establish local navies, to work in conjunction with the Imperial naval forces, is a momentous one. It is. not merely, that it means' an immediate additional annual expenditure on defence'to be met. It ia something far greater, something far higher than the. undertaking of an increased monetary payment. It involves the recognition by each of the two countries that, they must bear their share of the burden of national defence not merely by contributing funds, but by providing the. ships and tho men to do their share of the fighting. It means tho development of a national naval spiritit means than the people will have constantly i before them naval responsibilities which in course of; time must bring a truerVunderstanding of the great issues which have for so • long, confronted the Mother Country .arid of the great burden:which she has borne so long and so unflinchingly to'the advantage of the whole Empire. I.t .means even more than this. The two great Dominions, as they develop in population and trade, will also-develop their naval strength, and with these growths will come a stronger spirit of self-reliance, which will be good for their respective peoples. It is not a very great flight, of (imagination to picture a time when these young ; nations, instead of playing their -. present very minor part in the Scheme of Imperial Naval Defence, will be important factors' with local navies that will havo to be reckoned with, not merely as raid-, ing-vessels and commerce-destroyers, but as ■ fighting ■ forces. .■.- And what of' New ZealandV . :' ; ; v; .:":■ :": ■■:■'■■"'.'..

The creation of a Pacific Fleet on the lines proposed will ; be, we believe, the beginning of a great naval movement in the Pacific It may be that this has developed partly on sentimental grounds. At the time of the visit of the-American fleet to these; waters, there was a good deal of wild;talk about the unprotected position of those portions of the Empire lyingin the Southern Pacific,- due, to the withdrawal of the British;fleet from the Far East. America 'was,: spoken of :>as being .in ■ the circumstances/a >.i possible: protector against an invasion by the yellow' racer, Thoughtful people, while fully recognising America , as a natural ally, deprecated this sort of foolish; /sensationalism. But while tho matter , was not ono calling .for serious' attentipn, : there; can be no doubt that it set a good many people thinking on : the question; , and sentimental considerations V: cannot always be ignored. While sentiment,,may .thus havo had some share inassisting to form the idea,of a Paqifio.Fleet, thpre,can be no; doubt that' the practical; side of the proposal js one of vast importance to. the future of the 'Empire. .The moral effect of 'the creation .of this new. fleet must be great, but; the ■potentialities of the scheme /as the beginning .of a ■ new naval, movement ■ aro: still 'greater./. The '.manhe, r. in ■; which .it is proposed., to 'scatter i the different units/composing the*fleet!ovor a wide; stretch jof .ocean may; naturally .be' regarded, as ;reducing the value of. the fleet'as a 'fighting force,;/ but; it isj.prpb- , ;able' tthat / againsi '.."this vconsideration; has.bee'n balanced/the fact that the chief service' expected from it .would no' doubt be;to;protect>ur own and, destroy; that of an enemy. )We should like to feel quite certain'; however,' that in splitting up the,fleet in the.manner. pro-, posed . the' view's of •"',the'/ naval experts have ' not been too/ greatly .subordinated to other consideration's. New Zealand, for instance,' would /to see .the, highest of fighting .efficiency mainta'ihed rather, than there should bo any> sacrifice of that efficiency for the sake. of; propitiating 'this ,Dominion: by stationing a 'few warships !in: New .Zealand : waters.;: The, manner jn, which the •China unit has been subdivided seems to : suggest' that other.'■ considerations than- those of strategical value have beenl at : however, ,is a matter concerning which, we, shall learn/more, anon. / In the , meantime it. must be 'a matter 'for congratulation that in some ■directions at least;the Naval Conference' has been productive of;, developments of far-reaching "importance. That New Zealand/is to play;so small a part in the;new scheme may be a-matter for regret, but it will not occasion very great surprise. .The Dominion had its brief burst of prominence ih: its preadriought Day, but the attention of the Empiro for some s time : to come will be directed on - Canada and Australia,; who have set out to show that ; the offshoots of the Old Land possess the same far-seeing statesmanship ;.; the same high courage; the same-fixity- of purpose; 'and the same Belf-relianco; and national spirit. : '." that made; Britain what she is ; to-day. ;; ;