NAVAL DEFENCE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2134, 28 April 1914, Page 6

NAVAL DEFENCE

ENGLAND'S P6LICY IN ME?: pacific ■*£■; PROF. LABY EPLAINSJIiII Professor T. H. Laky, of Victoria College, who has just returned from >«. .visit to England, has something to say with respect to statements made in Austral lia and Now Zealand that Great Britain lias failed to fulfil her undertakings at. tho 1909 Naval Conference, with respect to defence matters in these waters. His remarks aro of special interest, as ho has mado a study of tho subject during his visit to Australia, I&jghmd, and Canada. "First of all," says tho Professor, "there can no doubt that England has to maintain a superior naval force at tho heart of tho Empire. Sho has also to maintain a fleet in tho Mediterranean. When tho Mediterranean fleot was reduced it was found that on that account English diplomacy had boon weakened in tho Courts of tho Mediterranean nations. Furthermore, tho contemplated withdrawal of tho fleot from tho Mediterranean would ha'vo weakened England's position in Egypt, and hor power to keep open tho finer. Canal and her communications with Australasia and India. After anxious consideration, tho Mediterranean fleot was strengthened. _ At tho 'instance of Canada, the- British Admiralty stated tllo naval preparation that was necessary for the safety of tho Empire, and Canada was advised that sho could best help by tho contribution of threo first-class ships. Tho First Lord of tho Admiralty stated that if Canada did not contribute those ships it would bo necessary for Great Britain to build thorn. When Canada failed 1 to contributo at all, tho Admiralty found themselves faced with having to supply the deficiency themselves. Further, in view of the arrangements' made in 1909 they wero called upon to place two fleet units in the Pacific. Had all these obligations been fulfilled, Great naval expenditure would have risen to a ruinous figure. Even 60, speaking from memory, tho Estimates were actually increased Try some five or six millions, to 51 millions,. but only after acute differences in tho. Cabinet and tho Liberal Party; and the opposition to tho increase can bo well understood, as tho increased expendi-; ture meant the postponement of many' measures of social reform that have, been long overdue in England. We can : but feel that our security here and in i Australia, with tho high standard of living, is obtained at the cost of -0m relatively poorer people of Great Britain. , • So the Admiralty, it ■ would appear, finds itself unable to fulfil tho_ arrange* ments with respect to tie Pacific arrived at in 1909. At the same time it is clear from the First Lord's speech in tho House of Commons early in March that Admiralty is fully alive to its responsibilities in the Pacific, and by means of tho Anglo-Japanese alliance lias secured us in a manner for the immediate future. Tho Asiatic exclusion policy of the British Dominions in tine Pacific- littoral, which is clearly essential to the continuance of a-European type of civilisation in thoso Dominions, involves those Dominions, however, in ri&ks from which they cannot expect England alone (to secure them. That policy is now fully understood and sympathised with by those in authority in, England. And so wo can look for, arid have always received, advico towards the maintenance of tho plicy, as, for example, the-re-Sirts of Lord Kitchener and 1 Admiral endorson. England is able to secure us for the moment, and; it is for Australia, New Zealand, and Canada far as tho .last is interested) to prepare to maintain this policy by fortotf necessary. Australia is making heroic efforts to this end, but somo of her political leaders already recognise that alono tho task is beyond her powers. _ > Tho naval expenditure of Australia ie rapidly approximating to that of Great Britain, which is about g2s. per head; that of New Zealand (excluding the gift of the Dreadnongjht) is now about 2s. per head. 'It is only fitlr is> add that on land defenco New Zealand's ©xpaiditiire per head approaches closely to Great Britain's.) And however many objections may immediately occur to us, tlto most loyal' co-operation in maintaining a Pacific fleet is clearly tho solution. But this problom is merely one aspect of the much larger problem of the defence of tho British Commonwealth throughout the world.