"DOWN BELOW."

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

"DOWN BELOW."

».<• time objeoted. to .the-Bohome as tending : to delay tho provision and possession of a ! fleot ; of their own. ->•>? For"convenience, of .reference, tho fur- : . ther stops taken towards the solution of the problem of mutual co-operation for i the realisation of, .Imperial requirements ! in. the matter, of defence 'may 'now bo !-•' in-' chronological, sequence:^.; Second Colonial Conference. -: !., .: UKhW-Nd 'changewa^.m'dde./iri: contribution. ;", s :; : Capo-Colony offered tho cost of a fir.itI■ .class, battleship,"-but..subsequently:' ar-' ranged'to' pay an annual subvention, of [ l <e3o,tfoo : .'t6watd3;'tho, cost 'of -the Imperial NBLvj, 'this,being:equivalent;to the fyter-., est. o'n'lthtfsrim- originally l BUggelited'. : It t .was ih' order 1 to/commeinorate this patri-,' otio offer -that ' a . first-class cruiser "was I nfltried the' Good Hope. 1 I''.'/ ' .Natal offered L a~gift'- of 12,000 tons of i: :i jooal;annually. 1 ,: ■ V' '■ • of Australia form-. cd, , ' and'' : naviil' i forces .-of 'the , different f States taken'over by- tha'Pederal Govern-' i •/ niAnt:-"- These -forces -'thin 'consisted,' in. addition to tho ships, of' 242 pormanent otflcer3?iintf'nien,"and .1637' partially-paid: !• ' in^bwß-'of: > jUio' :.iylM»lo _ : tboing fflafntaihcd at- an : annual coSt'ofV- UTs.ooo.'';-:-.'.- 1 :;---- fThlrtl Colonial Conference; • • . S; ' ■ 1902; Contribution : o£." Australia , in-. •' ■ ; greased .to, J!200,000 annually towards the cost of.,an improved Australasian,tquadTon and ..establishment of a branch of tho Royal Naval Reserve. ."!• i New Zealand contribution increased to : . i'<E4o,ood,a year .towards:tho;.£amo purpose. Capo-Colony,; contribution-'raised ■ _to, 'i 246,000 a year towards general main? 5 , tonancc_.of tho Navy. ; -.... „„;i. Natal contribution altered to a sum of - jC35,Q00 annually towards tho Bimo pur- " posoo ~ j Nowf<mndlnnd offorod a contribution of .£3OOO- towards, tho.. maintenanco of. . a branch.-of the Pioyal Navy R-esorvo,- -anda capital sum: of JGlßoo,fori fitting .up and. ■ proparing;'a drill-ship. .L i,;- ... , Canada.—Sir, Wilfrid'•iLanrior,- stated - that the Dominion was contemplating tho establishment 'of a local naval 'force in - its ■ own waters. ■ 1904.—Canada.—The Dominion acquired, tho cruiser Canada for tho training voftho Naval Militia, -~... 1905.—Canada.—Tho Dominion;, offered to -rtake over-tho cost of, maintaining .the . fortified! dockyards at Halifax and Esquimalt. ....... 190G.—Australian Commoinvealth.—Captain ,'W. "E. Creswell,. tho,'Director of the ■ Commonwealth Naval Forces, drew • up 7 and:-submitted: the first ; detailed. scheme fop a locally-oirned squadron, which was- . rejected by -.tho .Committee ,of- Imperial Defence. .; Fourth Colonial Conference. ; 1907,-fAhst'ralia.—lt .was on ■ behalf of the Commonwealth that it had been'determined to end the agreement of •1902,'; and. for Australia .to start her oto; . navy.' ,' . , Now Zealand.—Tho siibsidy..:,was continued, and a.request made for somo local ' defence and'- a . training-sliip .for volunteers. ( (In October of . tho. following year: the subsidy was raised to .£100,000.) Qajjo Colony.,and Natal.—Tb» .subsidies wero continued, and a request mado for a training ship for their Royal Naval ' i ' "'7 CinindiV.M'bc Dominion, living relieved the-Imperial Govcruinout. of ,tha expense .of mainlaiHing"lTalifax and Bsour-

The Commonwealth jto, t undertako the maintenanco of • .■f Dominion proposed to make*-a start with the provision of a localised, force of cruisers to be stationed .on'the Atlantio, r and Pacific seaboards. : South'-AfricaiiV,Colonies—The delegates ,from §<)uth!. Africa'preferred to wait un-. til tho union 'was accomplished before .making apy decision.. 191)9—St. .yinoent.—ln . July ..the. Legis-. lativbi'Cd.uncil .bfrSt. Vincent passed a resolution offering: to vote annually an amount: app'roMmatine to 1 per cent of tlip. revenue of tho colony as a contvibutioii',;toward3" the Imperial Navy. . ■ ifilO.-rAustralia.-r-The battle-cruiser for the-first i.Tinityof, the Royal Australian Navy.'WaS'laidt dowu' at ,C'lydebank on ;June,: 23,' and .contracts for two: of th 6 protected .;cr,iuseTsre placed in October, .while" two de'strdyers, for which contracts at price,-of ,>281)500 for each boat had been-placed .-.in:; 1909, were launched on tho''Clyde, .and a third destroyer . was built,; to ibo"Shipped to Sydney in notio.ns; and jeoonstrncted there. In Juno ' Admiral Sir Reginald Hondorson accepted the invitation of tho Commonwealth Government.tq -visit:, Australia and.to advise : upon-ißiattorS\'c6nncctcd- with naval defeucp,■ .. New.' Zealand.—Tho battle-cruiser offered:.to/the/Imperial Government was laid down at Govan. on Juno 20. ■ Canada.—The cruisers Niobo and Rainbow waro purchased from tho Imperial Government to net as training ships, and at. Halifax and Esquiinait in October, and Novomber. • In order to assist In tho founding of tho new Royal Cana.dian Navy, a number of British officers were lent by the Admiralty for a period of two years, and other steps were taken in tho samo direction. Tho fleet proposed to bo created by tho Dominion Government, was stated by Sir W. Laurier in January ("Tho Times," January 13) •to consist of four ships of the Bristol type, ono of the Boadicea type, and six .destroyers, to bo divided between tho Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The cost to Canada would bo .£2,338,000, .which would bo increased by 22 • per. cent if tho vessels wero constructed in Canada. It was intended to begin building in Canada ■ as soon as possible. The First Imperial Conference. ; 1911.—At the Imperial Conference an agreement was arrived at between tho .British Admiralty and representatives of -the Dominion of Canada and tho Com- ; monwealih of Australia with regard to tho control and organisation of the respective naval services they proposed to establish. ("Tho Times," July 29, 1911.) Australia.— I Tho Commonwealth Government announced that it had decided not to ask -for-any contribution from Imperial funds towards tho maintenance of tho Royal Australian Navy. The report of Sir Reginald Hendorf»n was published in March ("The Times/' Match 14 anil April 21), and its main recommendations acted upon, a Naval Board being constituted and its first orders issued on April 11.- ; Canada.—The Government was defeated , at tho elections in September, and nn November 20 it was announced by 31 r. Borden that the naval programme—tenders for the ships of which' had alrendv bcen submitted—would not bo proceeded .with until tho opinion of tho Canadian ,peo])l9'!liad"bceil" l c(insnlted. .1912.^Aiistralia'.—'Tho cruisers Mcll.oiirnc"'and' SvilWV wero launched, and with tlio-baUle-ci'iiiser Australia, launched on .(.Iclnhcr -2.i,' l!llj, lire.to leave'for 'A ustrulitf ~iu'l9l3. 1 , '''hn cruisrv Brisbane

the Dominion, would ho retained for service in Homo waters instead of proceeding! to China as flagship. The Navy Estimates for - 1012-13 rive the following contributions from the Dominions in aid of/Imperial naval expenditure:—lndia, for ships, illOO.OOO; for troop service, .£3IOO ;■ repayment for suppression of arms traffic, Persian Gulf, ,£G4,000. Australia, for ships and branch of Royal Naval Reserve, .£200,000; for surveying-work, *07500. Now Zealand, for ships and branch of Royal Naval Reserve, .2100,000. Cape Colony, for ships, ,£50,000. Natal, for snips, .£35,000. Newfoundland, for: branch of Royal Naval Reserve, .£3OOO. Canada and Australia, for liability for retired pay and pensions of officers and men lent from Imperial Navy, £7580. Total Indian and colonial contributions, .£570,480.