EMPIRE PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1607, 26 November 1912, Page 5

EMPIRE PROBLEMS

STUDY OF TEMPERANCE REFORM. SPEECH BY THE ADMIRALPREMIER ON NAVAL DEFENCE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, November 25. Tho seventieth anniversary of the establishment of the Auckland Total Abstinence Society was celebrated this evening by a banquet, which was tendered to Admiral Sir George King-Hall, Commander of the Australasian Squadron. In reply to the toast of his health, his Excellency said that ho attended the function to show his sympathy with the temperance movement. H«> wisned to havo it understood, however, that he was not associating himself with any political aspect. Kelerring to the Royal Navy Temperance Society, the Admiral said there were now 25,0110 members, and the leaders of the Navy, including members of the Admiralty, Lord Charles Beresford, and others were in sympathy with the movement. The best judges and magistrates at Home had 6aid that the majority of crime was caused by alcohol, and his experience in the Navy had been the same. Fully 75 per cent, of punishments, especially those lor insubordination, were caused through drink, and on this station, where tho attractions were so great, ho was sorry to say desertions were many. The quarterly return would be almost a blank if it were not for drink. .It would interest them to know that the German Emperor had taken-up the question of the effect of strong drink upon, the officers and men of the German Navy. The Kaiser's leading Admiral'was a friend of the speaker, and twelve months ago he had taken up thq study of temperance reform in the British Navy, and had been most interested. As an instance of the loss of efficiency due to the use of groff, tho late Captain Ogilvie, of H.M.S. Natal, had an accurate record kept of the daily records of the men in shooting. : That record was kept by his successor, who agreed with Captain Ogilvie that efficiency fell 15 to 40 . per cent, after week-end leave. It was important at the present day to maintain tne utmost limit of efficiency. An Admiral might place his fleet in the best possible position, but it was the man behind the gun who was the last ultimate. He had to be tuned up to the highest pitch,, to the greatest degree of efficiency. (Applause.) His Excellency concluded by reciting - some lines, which, he said, his father was in the habit of doing at temperance meetings, the last line being, "Where there's drink'there's danger." (Applause:) "Our Empire" was proposed by the Hon. Geo. Fowlds. ■;

The Prime' Minister was received with cheers, and continued applause. The toast of "Our Empire," he said, was of such importance that it was above party. (Hear, hear.) The greatest and ablest minds of tlie Motherland and of the overseas Dominions were busy with Imperial matters. The problem of defence was difficult, and he referred, particularly to naval defence. Our existence as a nation, as anJEmpive, depended .upon naval' defence. He" thought they would agree when se said that the overseas Dominions should spend more money on naval defence than' they had in the past. They had to think of the interests of Canada and Australia, and how those interests would be enlarged., by the opening of the Panama Canal. They had also to think of the growing interests of their own country.. There were three British nations in the Pacific—Australia, Canada, and New Zealand—and he looked forward to the time when it would be their duty to keep the British flag flying from one end of the Pacific to the other. They had heard that evening that the yearly contribution, for New Zpaland towards the cost of the" Imperial Navy was ,£250.000. That included the cost of the interest on the battleship, but if the battleship were naid for to-morrow, the contribution would not be decreased. (Applause.) Mr. Massey went on to refer to the Imperial Conferences. He said that these conferences would soon become fo great" that they could not bo broken by any force of nations. It was their duty to increase the contributions, for that was the wav the Empire would ,bo built up and strengthened. When the younger nations of thfr Empire came into being, not as dependencies, but ns'partners in the Empire. the organisation would surely be great and glorious.