The Dominion. TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1913. THE NAVAL QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1826, 12 August 1913, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1913. THE NAVAL QUESTION.

The suggestion lias been made that the Opposition will put forward a determined effort during the coming Financial Debate to force the hands of the GoveAment on the question of its proposals regarding naval defence. It is quite possible that there is something of the kind afoot. A good many people besides the Opposition are awaiting with keen interest tho announcement of,the Govern-' merit's naval policy, but., unlike the opponents of the Government, they recognise that in deciding so . important a question, Ministers must necessarily be influenced on certain points by the views of the Admiralty officials "and the Imperial Defence Committee. Possibly our anti-Reform friends regard such expert advice as a matter of small moment, but they at least know that at the time the Minister for Defence left England some important cjuestions raised at ■his conferences with the Home authorities had not been settled. It is common knowledge that these* questions have since been the subject of correspondence, and until they are disposed of the Government is not in a position to lay its views fully before Parliament and the country. An indication was given in the Budget brought down last, week; that on tho main question at issue Minietsro have quito made u*3 their mindsj thatj

is, that whatever steps this Dominion may take, it must recognise the. full necessity for one control for Imperial purposes. That one control, where the Navy is .concerned, can only be the British Admiralty. In other words, the naval policy o-f this country, whether it continue as at present merely in the form of an annual contribution to the Admiralty or be extended to provide for the securing and maintaining of war vessels to be. stationed on our own coasts, must harmonise with the policy of tho Imperial authorities.

The Budget, went a step further, and indicated that the policy of the Goverir.nent would throw upon the New Zealand Parliament a more direct responsibility for naval deionce. Here again there is little room left for speculation as to what is meant. The more direct responsibility referred to must surely be the responsibility of providing for the manning and maintenance of war vessels of our own. It could not be called a more direct responsibility merely to incyoSsc the amount of the annual coutribution to the Home Navy. But the view we have stated is further strengthened by yet another Budget reference. The policy to ho submitted, we are''told, "\yill give the people of this Dominion a more definite interest in defence matters and afford them a Utter opportunity for service." No interest in defence matters could he more definite than the interest created by the preserve"in these waters of vessels maimed and maintained by Now Zearanders, and what "better opportunity for service" could be afforded than would be given by such vessels ] Pieced together in this fashion, the rough outline of the Government's policy would seem to be fairly clearly indicated, although we do not pretend to say that our analysis of the Budgpt pronouncement on the question is bated on anything more than w-hat is contained in the Budget itself, read in conjunction with the views expressed at different times by the Minister for Defence. The details we must wait for, or leave to our friends on the Opposition benches to fill. in as their imagination may decide. The number and class of vessels to constitute the fleet—if it can be so styled—whether they will bo training ships or fighting ships or both; the process of development anticipated and the estimated cost are matters upon which speculation would at the present moment bs quite futile. It may be taken for granted, however, that whatever the policy of tho Government may be, it can only .provide for a very modest beginning in the way of a local fleet. The burden of defence is one which the conntry must carry—and the necessity for taking a larger share in the cost of naval defence is recognised by ailbut that burden should not be made any heavier than is necessary merely for the sake of a spectacular display of patriotic sentiment.