IMPERIAL NAVAL DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1730, 22 April 1913, Page 5

IMPERIAL NAVAL DEFENCE.

SPEECH BY THE EON. JAMES ALLEN. Sir Joseph Ward presided at a dinner of the Liberal Colonial Club at Prince's Restaurant, Ijoudon, on March IU, when a, discussion look place upon "Imperial Do-; fence." The Hon. James Allen, Minis-; ler for Defence for New Zealand, wai tho principal guest of the evening. Mr. Alien, whu initiated Iho discussion; said that in New Zealand defenco had been trwited by all parties as a non-parly question, and iio hoped that the members of the British Parliament and tho British public would also (real defence as a iioupolilical matter. (Hear, hear.) In ,thi« connection, there were those who held that as long as Ihe "first lino of defence," ns the Navy was' called, \va3 as strong a»' was required, there was no need to fear aggression. /But he doubted if there had been n singlo instanco in history of an international struggle in which England ■■was concerned which had been settled by. the Navy alone. 11l all cases it hud been ncccssary to enlist tlio support of Ihe land forces to secure eventual victory. The l'nct was recognised in New Zealand that tho land and sea forces wero tin necessary complement of each other. In full regard of that fact, tlmy had adopt* I'd a system of compulsory national military Service in New Zealand, and they wero ready lo transfer a portion of that military force to auy part of the Empire in which their services were required. 1 But, tho transport of that forco was not; possible without naval protection, and thus it was again brought home to theiri ■that the land nud se-a forces wero inter* dependent. But whilo both adequate sea; and land forces were necessary, the nlor# .difficult problem related to naval defence; New Zealand had faced tho problem by making a direct contribution to tlio Navy; and in doing so she had. ho believed* acted wisely. Canada would probably do tho same. But this was only tho beginning of tho task of facing tho naval problem of tlio Empire. M; was not a permanent policy. ■ AVhat they had to do ill these ouler portions of till Empire was to delenniiio that policy. For his part. 110 did not think that wo could get from tho Oversea Dominions'tho full measure of tho required sacrifice in secur. ing - the navnl dctenco of the wholo Empire, except bv recognising! 'the national sentiment of the' Dominions, and by adopting tlio principle of patriotic interes| bv which tho Dominions were animated Thus it was tlmt: tho Australian Coni. inonwcalth liad adopted tho policy ol building a fleet called their own fleet; but not for their purposes alono. H< had been in closo contact within tho las! few years with Ihe Australian authorities; and ho was prepared to say that Australif was not building a Navy for Belfish pur poses. Australia had... simply, boon tisin| tho sentiment of sacrifice for the purposj of ultimately building up an Imperial Navy. Ho thought that was tho policj which would hivo to bo adopted ultimate ly'by all tlio Dominions. Ho did not can whether tho Dominions began by buildinf ships or buying ships, or contributing in any oilier forml to the naval defeiiM of tho Empire. ;so long as tlie.v all actec in unison with tonic intelligent, plar which would permit, of effective co-opera. I,inn in Imperial interests, and consistent with the'larger policy of bringing lh< whole of these various nnvr.l units to geilier again. Of course, the formula lion of such a largo policy'was ono'ol grave difficulty, but h« did not W that it was. an insoliiblo difliculty It was no use building; these set> .arale unit* except with n definio mutual understanding of what, these niiih were for, and (hat'ultimate purpose roujl bo not only the defence of the separato part.s of tlio Umpire, but of .the Enipiri as a while. '(Cheers.) . .. .' , k A discussion followed, in winch Mr. A Cecil Beck, M.P.. Sir F. Tollock, Mr. A M. do Beck, Mr. If. C. Blyth, Mr. Hervej do Montmorency, Mr. Reuben Clarke, Ril Joseph Ward, and Mr. Donald Mackinnoi took part, . - •