OUR NAVAL DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1429, 2 May 1912, Page 5

OUR NAVAL DEFENCE.

i THE GIFT DREADNOUGHT*, - TO VISIT NEW ZEALAND, AND AFTERWARDS? _ 'i'ho myslory as to tho destination of the battle-cruiser New Zealand, better known to tho public ns the gilt Drcndnoiijjht, remains as dark as when tho matter was hist mentioned in these columns. Aceordinp; to the arrangement which was made at tho Imperial Defence Contci'cnce in IBIM, this ship was to be the flngship of this China squadron, and was to visit -Vciv Zealand periodically, out doubts are now expressed as to whether thi.s urrnugrment will !jc carried oh 1 , , ami tlii'so doubts Msra to derive sanction from ajiiio pspre-vsioiis used by tho recently iipjioiiited First Lord of the Admiralty, Air. Winston Churchili. London JieivspapM-s appear to have information on the subject, but notbiiitf has been disclosed by tin! authorities in this country. J. 'is first inlittiatiun of this supposed nhiuiflo in naval organisation that reached New Zealand came in tho form of a press cablegram from Jjoudou, dated April 10, and quoting tho following remarks I'rom the naval correspondent of tho "Mo-ruing Post";—

It will bo interesting to sen whether tho biiitle-cruiscrri Australia and New Zcnland will sail for Australasia at tho end of the year. The best opinion lias long been that the only justification for such ships is the ability to use , them as a fait wing of a battle fleet.

During the Navy debate Mr. Churchill (First Lord of tho Admiralty) referred to the necessity for a certain proportion of vessels of tho greatest speed ami the highest power being used to turn an enemy's line, to bring a hostile fleet to action, or to compel a retreating licet to abandon a portion of its force, in preference to partaking in a gcutral engagement. .

Mr. Churchill's Nclcscriiitioa of the dudes of battle cruisers makes it obvious that the service which a kittle • cruiser might render svas misunder- ' stood when tho Admiralty sanctioned the Australia and Now Zealand joining fleet uiiits comprising only three sec-ond-class cruisers. Even if tho words which tho .Admiralty put into Air. Churchill's mouth did not represent the wholo Oiiso, thero is no immediate prospect of a battle fleet being required in tho far East; hence it appears that tho Australia and KenZealand will be unsuitable for tho stations to which the former Board of Admiralty proposed that, they should La sent. No Information Hero. When the attention of the Hon, A, M. alyers (Minister for Defence) was drawn to the above cablegram, ho expressed surprise, and said that he had understood that the arrangement was that tho battle cruiser New Zealand would be tho flagship of the China Squadron, and would visit New Zealand waters every year. No information as to nny alteration, in this arrangement had reached him. It was just possible that the Prime Minister (who was then out of tsswji) had received a communication, but, if so, it could only havo arrived that day, Mr. Churchill's Statement. English newspapers to hand !>y the latest mail show that in his memoranda upon the Navy Estimates, Mr. Winston Churchill made the following announcement:— Jt is intended that hie Majesty's ship New Zealand, the battle-cruiser which tho Dominion has generously presented to tho lioynl Navy, shall visit New Zealand immediately after commissioning, probably early in

Commenting on this statement, tho naval correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph," stated' that there was "reason confidently to believe" that the New Zealand battle-cruiser would joint the Homo Fleet. The correspondent proceeded ;— It was originally agreed that this vessel should be the ilnplrip of the China Squadron, and that another battle-cruiser should be at the head

of the East Indies Squadron, thus with the Australian battle-cruiser completing the three largo nrmourod ships originally laid down for duty in or near the Pacific. It is now known that a battlecraiser will not 1» scut to tlio East Indies. The pre-Droadnought armoured cruiser Defence has just been commissioned as flagship of the China Station, from which it may he assumed that the New Zealand ijeople, in pursuance of that higher patriotism which they have always exhibited, have agreed that their presentation ship, niter visiting their home waters, sh=vH be permanently stationed where it can render best service to the tmpiro, namely, in the English Channel and the North Sea. .. Of course, the New Zealand people have not agreed to anything of the sort, as the matter has not been beforo them. It was mentioned last evening to tho Prime Minister (tho Hon. T. Mackenzie), but he declined to give nny information._ Ho would not even sajr whether ho had received any communication on the inatu-r from tlio' Homo authorities.

The M'Kenna-Ward Arrangement. Tho exact teams of the arraiigemont which was come to in the year li'Ull were, contained in a letter wrilton by Sir .foMiph Ward lo tho K-ijjht Hon. 1!. Jl'lveuna, the (livii )''ir.-t Lord of the Admiralty, niter tho r'l'pcrial Defence Conference, and m Mr. M'lCennn's wply. In tlm course of this letlor. tho then I'vimo lliuister of Keir Zcnlnnd recited the Adminuty scheme of a Pacific Station, comprisnii; East Indie?, Australian, and China units, "tho 'Dreadnought' cruiser presented by New Zealand forming the flagship of the China unit. .He further wrote. New Zealand will supply a Dreadnought for the British Navy as nlreiioy offered; the ship to bo under the control of, and stationed wherever the Admiralty considers advisable. I fully "realise that the creation of specific 'units, one in tho East, ono in Australia, and, if possible, one in Canada, would be a great improvement on the existing condition of nffair,«. and the fact that the Now Zealand Dreadnought was to lie the flagship of the Chinn-I'acific unit is, in my opinion, satisfactory. I. however, consider it desirable that a portion d!' tliii China-Vacific "unit shonkt remain iii New Zealand i waters, and 1 would suggest that two of the new liristul cruisers, togelhnr with three destroy- I ers and two submarines, siionld he detached from the China station in lime of necee and stationed in New Zealand waters: that thce vewl« '-liou.'d come under the flaß of tbp Admiral of tiie China unit; that tho flagship should make periodical visits to New Zealand waters: and that there should be im interchange in the service of the cruisers between New Zealand and China under conditions to bo laid down. Mr. M'Konna, In replying to fhi* letter, said ilint the snsß-estioiis rontained in it had been carefully considered nml concurred in by the Admiralty. Thp fact of the China Flee! unit, a* set out by you, will he, mainlined in New Zealand water's n.s Hieir lieadquarrers. You wish (hat tlio ships of the Fleet as a whole, or at. any rate Hie armoured ship mul tlio cruisers!, when completed, should pay a vWt (o New Zealand on the way' (o Chinn. shall niso 1» carried out. . . , '.n,,, Admirolty feel that every efl'ort should Iy> made to work out a. scheme neiepiable to the people of New /calami, linving rpgard to the palriolic nytioit taken by yourself and your .'.fillisters in March last.

According to (ho "Daily ToloßrnnhV : naval correspondent, the addition of Hie 1 oruiser New Stailand to the Homo Fleet 1 will mean that Uritain will have thirly- ■ five Dreadnougjiis in in (lie ' spring of 11115 in tho metropolitan floats when liorniany will have only twenty-one, 1 an advantage of GG.C per wiit. Lufef in tho same year, however, Germany will! complete tho two ships which she 'should lay down in tho coming yenr in accordanco with the existing Navy Law. Tho Defence, which is stated by to "Daily Telegraph" !o have boon commissioned as tho flagship of tho China sqiiiidron, i.s on armoured fhip of 14,000 tons displacement, launched in 1907, nnd capable of a speed of 23.5 knoie. Her armament consists of four 9.2-inch guns, ten ■7.5-inoh, and sixteen tt-pounden aad five