The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY, 15, 1910. CANADA AND THE EMPIRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 716, 15 January 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY, 15, 1910. CANADA AND THE EMPIRE.

~?:;,Thb; very; interesting': cablbi:/mes!sage?bearing;pn;.Oana.da's 'naval», bitions/arid-her/attitude towards the, Imporial/Nayy,/ which^-appeared/in' our■ last/issue, - serves: to/indicate•.the ■conflict of/opihion./which'/is/at/pre-, sent; disturbing the', course/of in .the: Dominion,;;:-The/ differehces ,! which/. ;eiisV|: are ;really//much;/less" serious than appears /on; the/ surf ape/.Leader of .the 'Opposition', ..-Mif-Boii-. 'den,.'are/.in accbrd'/bh-,:the : question'of-naval, defence./ /MbV/Boii-' den, j-however; ./iwpuld /go/' further than' the;Prime;Minister arid./would' proyido /Canada /with,'a :nayal/unit of//considerably/'greater,.-; strehgijh than/that proposed.'// He/would/also leave-no;possible- room'/for."l'doubt -as- to the Canadian fleet /being at the .disposal'of the Imperial-aiithbr-: itics./in/ time of /war:/; ; It::may /be: .remarked /in.'-regard/, tb./tho'/first/ .pbiht that the Canadian naval pro-' posals.: involve /ah;:iniiiai/.e'xpendi:ture.'of;£2,3pßiooo,',which''wili bb/'inT'' :creased;:by/22..per,-/cent;/:if;:.is;,:is probable,/the/vessels :'are l 'built//in : Canada. . The Australian naval/unit will c05t'.£3,695,000,-/'the'--extra 'cost being.largely ;due/fo,',-the: inclusion of a v<issel 'of ./the /.cruiser-'Dread-.hpught type;. Me.;. BoEi)EH.;'wants : a -Dreadnought 'lor//.tho.; i Canadian' ,;Navy,/,and .as'noted'/in'.the cable; message .'before; referred to,/ has cbn T traste.d, to tho disadvantage of -Can-. ada',; the: splendid effort of the: Commonwealth: with'/that of /'the /Do! minion. ../As'/tp;the second; point in ,-Me. .Boeden's ;. criticism','' namely, that the; Prime 'Minister /still holds ..views -favouring :,Canadian./ independehce',. the basis, of .'this contentibn is.,'a speech /by -;SiE: Wiijeid• LAfrEiEE on' November 16. /The;-Ca-" j nadian' .Premier''' on - that;, oceasiori' said: "Canada would; have a/ navy 'I and; that navy would. not; go to war unless the Parliament of /Canada chose to send it.-' -This declaration seeihs to have caused more cbheern in Canada ..' itself than: anywhere else., The stahco, commenting oh• the;speech, romarked. that in the. abstract such. a proposition was indisputable and applied to any 'and, : every .form of co-operation and., contribution. for the purposes of; Imperial' defence. But it:had no doubt at,'all/.that.the people and Parliament' of/.Canada; and peoples' and Parliaments of all: the overseas Dominions would not fail/when occasion required' to take such action as would preserve the' bond of Imperial unity. : Sie Wilfrid Latjeier; in the', same speech from which we have.'quoted,■ said:■ "If the British Empire is to remain, strong, as it is at present, it must not,be' by telling the daughter .nations to revolvo. as satellites aroundthe Mothor Country, but by allowing every daughter nation ; to,'.'develop. itself, to the ■ fullest extent' so that it may be a strength to the whole." Surely,,this is'the sort of independonco that wo all'Bhould heartily "ap-

prove. Again, on the more : recent occasion referred to in bur cable message,' it was stated that the Canadian Naval Service Bill provided tnat. "In case of. emergency the Government may, by Ordcr-in-Council, place the fleet at the King's disposal for; the general Royal Navy." The question was asked whether "emergency", meant war in Canada ■or abroad. '■:' ■ Sir Wilfrid' Laurier replied: "War . anywhere. If Britain'is at war. with any nation in the-.world, Canada is liable to 'in-' • vasion "and-Canada/is' at war." .Could..' anything more //be/ desired, than' this? Surely-the.most ardent Imperialist would be -willing that .Canada should- retain the formal right of offering her ; fleet ; in time of .emergencyi "Independence" -of the kind claimed.: by/Sir WiLTiiin.LAu-' ribr should dp no ; harm : to the cause/of Imperial" unity and if no greater obstacles arc. to 'be. met/with in;.the, inauguration of a, system of Imperial ,-' defence, the ; Empire will be fortunate"indeed./■' , ' ;; ■'.--'' "