The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1912. THE NAVAL POSITION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1501, 25 July 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1912. THE NAVAL POSITION.

The warning by Mr. Massincham, the editor of the Nation, that, if the British Government was going to bind itself to Mr. Churchill's naval policy, Mr. Lloyd-George and "uine-tenths of the Liberal fighters" would be lost to tho Government, reflects a very general Radical feeling. Mr. Iveir Hardie has followed up Mr. Massinoham's article with a speech hinting at the emergence from the Cabinet of a leader for the extremists. When Mr. Churchill was able to produce this result by_ his mere announcement that .the increase in German naval activity would necessitate a response by-Britain, what effect will be produced by the 'tone of his detailed speech in the House of Commons reported yesterday'? He emphasised the "remarkable expansion in strength and efficiency of the German Navy, and showed that by 1920 Germany would possess a sea force of 41 battleships and 60 cruisers: These are striking figures, but Mn. Churchill drove home their full meaning by mentioning the startling fact that such a fleet would be "about as numerous as, and superior in .actual strength to, the fleet recently rcvicwedat Spithead." Germany, as he pointed out, is simply "marching on unswervingly," and he has accordingly given himself up wholly to a recognition of the fact that Britain must brace herself, and "coolly, steadily, and methodically'' maintain her position of advantage. The greater part of the rest of his speech was concerned with questions of naval tactics and the disposition of fleets and men, and it is mainly upon these points that he is criticised by those who warmly support his recognition of the prime essential of an unimpaired and continuous dominance of the sea by Great Britain. As in all the other set- discussions of the naval problem in the. last year or two* piucn prominence .was js'ivea

to the Imperial side of tho ouestion. Although Mr. CiitmCHiLL does not appear to have stressed the obligations of the, dominions as he did in his recent remarkable speech in tli.i Fishmongers' Hall, Mr. Balfour supplied a kind 'of "second chapter ' to that speech by his manner of discussing the balance that the Empire as a whole will provide to offset_ the danger that is threatening Britain from the European side. Ihe dominions, ho said, are realising "the changing situation of Empire and the responsibilities which that situation inevitably throws jypon 'Yv?ry component element of the Mlpire. If, ' he concluded, "we cannot look forward to a relief of fclie burden of armaments we can feel that the resources of the Empire are increasingly available, and that we hAve behind us its whole strength." lo the oversea dominions, it is a pleasant thought, that however bitterly the Labour ancl advanced Radical sections of the Coalition Government) may attack their friends for their naval policy, Mit. Churchill and those on his side who think with him can count on the most generous and faithful support from the Opposition. For New Zealanders there is much Voom for thought upon what Mft. Balfour called "the changing situation of the Empire." We have persistently contended that, despite the gift of the Dreadnought, New Zealand has failed in her duty to the Mother Country. i,ot that she has not contributed a certain sum of money every year for a good numi.r eais ' but the New Zealand public has never been encouraged— wo may say,_ has never been allowed —to realise its responsibilities. Tak has been contributed in abundance, in such abundance that our English friends, a good deal in the dark as t'£ our whereabouts, havo fancied that the Navy is always in our thoughts, and that we give to our Imperial responsibilities as much thought as we actually give to our small local interests.

In a recent very striking article, designed to demonstrate that the Empire's naval force'must be concentrated in the North Sea, the London Spectator_ touched the central point that it is the duty of statesmanship in'_ this country to drive into.the brain of the New Zealander. During- the last fifteen years— "sometimes," it fears, "to the horror and amazement of our naval readers" —the Spectator has advocated local and colonial navies, and this although it fully recognised tho fact "that naval power 'to be effective must be centralised and not localised, and that home waters, whether for England or tho colonies, are by no means' necessarily the place •in which our homes are defended." But it felt that ''the essential thing was to interest and so to instruct the Britons oversea in the truths and realities of sea power. Next, we realised that they could not attain to that interest unless they had navies which they could call their own, and feel were their own because they had provided them. The notion of hiring sea power and of paying our Admiralty so much a year to protect them was, wo knew, a barren iflea from which no real help could ever como." This is, we believe, tho first time the Spectator has ever plainly stated the drift of its naval articles, but tho passage we have quoted is exactly what we, in .our Own measure, have always ureed upon the New Zealand public's attention. New Zealand's conditions, the policy of its Governments duri'n<* tho past 20 years, and especially the borrowing policy, have combined to prevent the average New Zealander from, feeling his concern in the upkeep of the Navy. What is £200,000 a year, when £5,000,000 a year are borrowed'! Why, there are a dozen of our local scrvicas much greater, in many instances many times greater, than £200,000 a year. Why, the real loss on our railways is more than that. There has been nothing to make New Zealandcrs feel their naval responsibilities. It has been unfelt. And' mere rhetoric cannot replace actual experience. Now Zealand must realise, and the new Government must set itself to make New Zealand realise, that this oountry must "lino up." Britain cannot go on bearing the burden: we must do our share. If we fail, then what, in tho great day of trial that will surely 'come, will be the feelings of our people when, too late, they do realise that their existence as a free nation isat ' stake, and is being fought for by_ those members of the Imperial family who set themselves manfully to do their share?