FIGHTING SHIPS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2014, 23 March 1914, Page 5

FIGHTING SHIPS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

MR. FISHER ON THE GOVERNMENT'S ■■■'\ POLICY. A CERTAIN "DISPATCH*" (By .Telegraph—Special Correspondent.) Pongaroa, March 21. Proposing the toast of "Tho Defence Forces of New Zealand" at the complimentary banquet which was tendered him at Pongaroa, tho Hon. F. M. B. Fisher referred to the naval policy of the Dominion, which'had been changed very much during the past nine months. In 1887, he said, the New Zealand contribution to the Imperial Navy had been £20,000 per year, and for that wo had in return what waß regarded at the time as a very efficient fleet. Later the subsidy was increased to £40,000, and in proportion to tho increase a better fleet was sent to these waters.' Wo still increased the subsidy to £100,000, and again tho efficiency of the fleet was increased. On top of that, in 1909, tho then Prime Minister of Now Zealand (Sir Joseph Ward) presented to the Imperial Government a battleship that would cost us, including sinking funds, £150,000 for 15 years. This meant that by tho end of 1809 our total naval contribution had risen to a quarter of a million. '

The Naval Agreement. , In that year Sir Joseph Ward-con-cluded an agreement with the Admiralty to send to these waters'a really powerful lighting squadron. That agreement had not been kept, for reasons advanced by the British Government, which reasons did not seem' adequate to the New Zealand Government. Tho actual position in which wo now found ourselves could be stated in simple terms. After giving a subsidy of £100,000 and a battleship costing two millions, w© had less fighting power in tho Dominion to-day than we had in 1887. When we paid a contribution of £40,000 a year wo had fighting ships of a tonnage of 41,000 tons. Now, f° r nn - expenditure of a quarter of a million a year, wo had 6300 tons of out-of-date defence—three ships which were no earthly use at all.

If tho British Government, in it's wisdom, was unable to carry out the agreement mado, must assert its nationality, and nave at least an up-to-dato ship. Cabinet "had decided that Now Zealand should Tiavo a model cruiser of the Bristol type, which would cost very little more in annual cost for inter-, est and upkeep than tho amount of our subsidy of £100,000. Moro than this, there is tho fact that there did not seem to bo«a good reason why tho British Government had not supplied this country with an adequate protecting fleet.

A Mysterious Dispatch-

It was now generally admitted, lie continued, that no crisis had occurred in 1909 to make our contribution of a battleship specially necesoary. At the tinio somo mention had been made of a dispatch from tlia British , Government, hut search had disclosed tlio fact that no sucli dispatch was in existence. He believed that it should be tlio policy of the New Zealand Government to supply not onlv funds but men and ships for Imperial defence. . That was truo Imperialism, to find our own shin and our own men. It was surely better than to say, "Wo will find the money. You find someone to put up-a fiijlit." In Australia it had been found that tlio best instincts of the race had beon aroused by the sense of possessing ships of an Australian Navy. Ho hoped that New Zealand would'havo the' same experience.