NAVAL DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1885, 20 October 1913, Page 8

NAVAL DEFENCE.

CANADIAN VISITOR'S OBSERVATIONS. PRIVATE PROPERTY AT SEA. Some interesting observations upon' some aspects of naval defence were made bv Mr. J. S.'Ewart, K.C., a member of the Canadian Bar, when, with Mr. L. C.' M. S.. Amery, a member of tlio Imperial Houso of Commons, he was entertained at luncheon on Friday, at Parliamentary Buildings. In the first place Mr. Ewart pointed out that by international law, as ratified by agreement of all civilised nations at. the second Hague Peace Conference, towns were not now liable to bombardment excopt in two cases: (a) If a town is a defended town belonging to the belligerent forces of the enemy; and (b) if a town refuses such supplies as aro necessary and for which due payment for such supplies is tendered. Regarding the protection of sea-borne commerce, Mr. Ewart remarked that commerce needed defence only because of tho refusal.of Groat Britain to accept the proposal by other nations to the effect tha.t commerce —other than . contraband of war —should be iminuno from capture during war. All nations wero now agreed that privato property on land, was outside tho range' of hostilities, and tho owners of 6uch property aro not to be disturbed in their ownership by tho invading forces unless for the purposo of obtaining supplies, and in that case, as.had been already point-; ed out, duo payment was. always to bo made in the currency of tlie country or its equivalent. The United States had throughout its history (Mr. Ewart continued) urged adoption of tho same principle upon the sea as obtains upon land, and it was the United States that brought this subject forward at tho second Peace Conference. At the first conference this matter fully discussed, but at the second conference it was fully canvassed ancTvote'd upon. Germany and tho largo majority of the nations voted with the United States, but Great Britain and her allies voted against it. . Mr. Ewart acknowledged that he was not awiiTO of what policy the Now Zealand Government was going to announce, but he asked consideration of the suggestion that perhaps influence mipjht bo brought tos.benr upon tho Imperial Government to agree to tho immunity from capture of privato pro-, perty at sea. Further, Mr. Ewart pointed out thait opinion in Great Britain on this subject was undergoing a very marked change, and ho mentioned Lord Loreburn's recent book, "Capture at Sea," as probably a most significant indication in that direction.