THE CALL ASSIST.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1722, 12 April 1913, Page 14

THE CALL ASSIST.

; V'-vA. v'r-' —- /i:::-;: 1 ■ EMPIRE & THE COLOMES.

MOVEMENT TRACED FOR 34 YEARS

GROWING IMPERIAL SENTIMENT,

:; Iji ;^;£ord;B«icoiidiciA -• Carnarvon' Co'mmissioji ;"to, inquire ; into' • tho • defenoo of British possessions '< • and ■. commcrco abroad.'' ■ Tin; information collectcd.;ty.;tho.; commission; and '.published. in : threes reportswas tho,:first syitcM!itiQ. attempt, to detcrrqino tho factors of tho problem with a view .to. its settlement; 1 : Out : i o? thi> interest created grew tho. Inter1' colonial; Conference, held at.. Sydnoy." in ; 1881, .when .a..resolution was, passed j'that of "the .colonics;" "con-; ; siderin'g. the ' largo Imperial interests ;ini. volved," ..should . continue to be'afc the. exclusive charge, of the Imperial Governnient. :At tho samo time, tho colonists . : -nsKfid "that-the Imperial Squadron should .: bo, increased., It, seamed 'as' if tho' move..ment' for.'thp' organisation of joint action., was . to. fail, and. althongh .: Sir, George ■ , . Tryon, when' Commandor-in-Chief dn i Ans j 1 , .tralian; waters; presented tho-colqnial an-;; •» : thorities' with. a'schonip for- atldiflgf to .tlio' . strength of tho- squadron, '-.nothing-' came : of- it "until,-iafter the; war; scare of , 1885,. .which, resulted from tho Ponjdeh;: inci- , .dent. In ■ that year..;also.,tho / first!,.contingent of colonial trofips fought side by. ; .side,with British-Regiilars in,tho Sudan. Wlieri- Sit-'-Gcorge iVj'6n ! re6pciiDd'Meg<)-' tiations two years latorj he 'found. tho ■ : colonial authorities more ready to rifgard ■ his suggestions tfith approval, and a -scheme was drawn up by which the colon- '. ists hired a forco. of, men-of-war fis an ■'/ addition to the Australiani' Siuadron.'This 1 force-consisted of -five-third-olass cruisers,; of 2j(jo,;tons' displacement, and two.j tor-pedo,-gunboats., .Great,.' Britain• •'borp the- ... cost of building\andjequ|pping thesfi..ves-,;: .< eels, and! tho {colonists .agreed to jjajftho „. .suni of;v£9li'ooo- ; annually; for.their.,main-, tenance and manning, and: also of;; .£35,001). annually for ten years ;;av a , cohtributton ..towards, the ;original..;;cost., •TliosEr-ships:servcd on-the.'Australian StaV tion.itoritibi-.they wore; .obsolescent. -. fThe. contribntion'.was shared .amongst all 'the ■ Australasian colonies, >NoWr Zealand's pro- ;' portion,-being iC20,000.,,: .Tho scheme ~was agreed-to at the first Colonial Conference,. •••- held in 1887, and was ;Tatitied .by.itho..lm- : 'perial ..Dofpnce.'Act ..of ,1888.... It ivais ;,to • : last f6r ten-'years, ..when-.the- ships; woretor remain tho. .property of . the., Imperial, (government, and/by. it : the principle-of- ■ tho localisation of- naval, force ,iyas .adV jnitted. Many ; Australians; even; at''that

malt Dockyards; -and having undertaken expenso in, connection with fishery protection and local surveying work, mado no further proposal. i 1909.—1n, March, after • gravo statements on - the - international situation and the naval'strength- -and resources of Germany madelby Ministers ia the House of Commons:— ■ - , . Now • Zealand. The Government telegraphed an Offer to'bear the cost of tho immediate:' construction of a battleship of'tho latest type and a'second of the same'' type.if .necessary. - Canada.—The Dominion House of Commons on-Ma,rch 29-passed a-resolution apprtving ■ of any necessary expenditure designed to promote the speedy organisation of a Canadian naval service in co-opera-tion with', the-Imperial Navy, Australia.—On April 15 the Primo Minister of, the; Commonwealth telegraphed that, whereas ill the British Dominions ought'to" share" in the burden of maintaining' the permanent naval supremacy of ; the'-Empire;'so far as Australia was concerned,' this Object would be best attained by tho''encouragement of naval development'in'that country. A later telegram off ered the Empire an Australian Dreadnought;:,'"'' ■i When 'these offers were accepted, the Defence Ministers of the four Dominions and tbO 'South African colonies were invited by tho Imperial Government to at.tend a",.conference,. to discuss the general, .the'defence of the Empire. Imperial' Defence Oonferonce, ; Thei conclusions arrived at, by the Imperial Defence Conference of 1909 wero announced-to -the'Houso of Commons by Mr. Asquith-on August 26 of that year., Australia, and New Zealand.—Tho squadron in Far' Eastern seftii to 'be remodelled on .the basis of a Pacific fleet to ..consisfcrof three units in the East Indies; Australian,. and China Seas respecc "Each unit, to consist, of a battlecruiser with a fixed proportion of smaller cruisers'and Vessels. For the. battleships offered earlier in the year battle-cruisers to be substituted, ono to bo stationed as flagship.of ;the China unit, and the other of thai in Australasia.' Tho, Common*' , wealth to-supply- and main taini with some temporary 'i'-assistance from Imperial i,funds, : i.' "i.thb i.)-Australia ' unit, and .- the I '';-New • ' Zealand contribution to be "applied" '-tb - the maintenance of' tho. China unit',' some of tho smaller vessels of the.'unit having their headquarters

and three more destroyers were begun in the, dockyard at; Sydney and two submarines at til© vickers Yard, BaTrow. On July 1 tlie cruiser Encounter was transferred from tho Imperial, Navy to the Commonwealth Government for trading purposes, and in consideration of the transfer the amount ■of the subsidy for the year was reduced from wC200,000 to iE175,000. t • Canada.—The Dominion Prime Minister and other Ministers visited England and conferred ,with the Committeo of Imperial Dpfence and tho Admiralty. It was announced ("Tho Times," November 20) that all recruiting for the Boval Canadian Navy had - teen indefinitely postponed. New Zealand.—ln' May it was , officially announced that the battle-cruiser New Zealand, the ship built at the' cost of