NAVAL POLICY
*—,— MR. FISHER AT OAMARU A SPLENDID MEETING ENTERTAINING HISTORY Of SIR JOSEPH WARD (By Tdcsiftph.-l'ross AssoqiatieaJ Oamaru, May 11. 'Hie Hon. F, M, B. Fisher■ delivered a po.titic.ii address at Qamarti this ovennig before an awdiente ftF jibcwt 1000 people, lie Minister, ctn entering the Ml, was rcceitcd with loud jotlsmso. His Worship the Mayor presided, ®tuj briefly iiitro'dtreccl the Minister.. ■ The Minister, on rising to speak, «\is greeted -with iond applause,' and the meeting was enthusiastic tlii'oughout, except for n few intcrJcctors at tlio back of tlio lial). The Minister's speech was mudi oh the same lines as lit? speeches in Sotithlawl, and lie scared heavily off sortie iuterjcctffi's, much to the aUHiseme-iUt and satisfaction of tho awlkmpoj which in several eases'.grected his replies to interjections with loud applause. ■' ■. Nava! Bsfiifid&i, .. The Minister dealt at length with tho Naval deictic® <jtic&ti<m, saying Unit Sit Jcseph Ward., as head erf tlii} Liber*! Party, had. been responsible for ilio increase in our contribution., and. had given the Dr'iiuiiKUiKjil- ivitkisut the consent- of Parliament; that- at the Imperial Coriforeiieo in London 3«\ ha-rl proposed a scheme ivliKh wa.s so vast that Mi". Asqnith, Sir Wilfrid Laurkjr, M.K M-shtir, and the other Prime Ministers turned it down. He (sir Jasepli Ward) had .proposed a schema whereby Ids. should bo given per heafl of the population tftwards NavalMeiwo. ThisteNow Zealand, said M.r. Fisher, Would mean a payment of £202,501), and yet Hi! Joseph Ward was going about ' tile country saying that -Hie Massey Governmeiiii was going to increase the cost of Naval Defcncc. ' Tho Mimster gaoled froni the Imperial Ooiiferouecof 19J1. .in which Sir Joseph Ward, inferring to tho old system of contrilmj.inn said: ''We must have- some alteration iu tile present disjointed, so-calkd system. That: is what I trying to arrive at." Oontiniviirg, Sit Joseph Ward snid: "I want tin pl-ato on record my view on this matter {Naval Defence), awl to say that in my opinion a position of enormous streiiKth, with at least three of the most powerful 'imtt-lesl-i-i.ps, could ho provided for Australia; that six «rf Uieui could Ijo provi.tletl for Cnnadft for deali«S with both, the Pacific and Atlantic coasts; that- three of ihfim could lie provided for South Africa, ii S.inlh Africa required them, aitlisfigh I knmv thc.v aro ji! a similar position to New Zealand in thn ,-nailer of Naval ■ Jltiioiices, Two conkl be provided for New- Zealand, one for Newfoundland, ■ and al? the subsidiary vessels that make tip the fleet' units could bo jVrovidcd-4'or all those countries. in addition, toil Dwadnouchts could be added promptly to the British Navy, n-ivd nil this cciftld bo dalle entirely by tire- oversea- Dominions tfiit oP'tho '%'op6sal Which I ain ssen]tift{s of a-b preserit. 5 ' 5 , Again, continued the Minister, Sir Joseph Ward had said At the Conference c "'With all respect- to every imp* lion c( the. British Dominions individually, tlitnigh vi'<? are- invofcil. - wjie*} Great-, Britain has a light fat- tho supremacy of the seas,, we have no voice at all. Wo aro helpless." Sir Joseph Ward's proposal was that New Zealand, with her edntrih-Htioii of £100,00(1, ali.d Great Britain., with her cxpeifto on naval de-fence. of £80,000,000. shm-ild liaVo some partne.vship ri.gjiis, and some sav, us to whether Britain should go to war or not. Tfcis,. Sir, .Fishe* said, was wrsil.tr, and the proper thing to >1-0 iva-s to rally roimd Great Britain. ■ -in time of war, and then, decide afterwards whether sho should 'have goM to war or not, (Loud applause.) Local Navy Canards, Dealing with the statements of ih« Opposition that tho Government.- was about to establish a local navy, (lie Minister said that this wa? inc'iirre.ct. .' TliS propositi \v;ir tluvt portioi) of tho present-' contribution Was to he useft for the maintenance and maiminfi of oiift ship with colonial officers and men, at colonial r.iies of pay, Sir J-osepii Vi'ard. speaking at .the eonforeiice on the -ioc'a-1 navy -question, said; "I. hol-j-Bve iSiiicerely that position could he tnade impregnable.as far as tlio oversea Dominions aro concerned, providing for them all tilie r.dvan;.n:jrcs t-lift-y get by anythin:; in the shape of leeal navies. Ine whola of ■ the building ope-rationg could be carried out without any diiliculty. Naval cuiistruciion yards Vonld he provided in the several' D'eftuiions b'yfa) pei? capita : conl ribution, such as 1 " have- named : j (10s. p"T bend'), By tlris means the distant cointt-ries miplit ceita-iwly hope' to have not- an imnjdiiafive local luiv.y that in all human, [irohahility woviki not bo able to do what they vecjiiircd ji.i ■ tinifis of stress., hut that they would: havo one tliat could heycad all q-ncstiflii : - do what was necessary, and : which, ad'lod to the present, British Knvy, ; tfoulfl nwlso it <?0 powerftd as to m.ako the pence <if the w-wM ahsnlutely as- J sttred. 11l oilier words, there would he ' all the advantages that row accrue, .only prcjater in my oiriniou to ihd local iilaccs."
Sir Joseph Ward Out of Couet.. Tits Minister t'trmi quoted tho opinions of other i'rituo Ministers present at Use conference on Sir Jusfi.pli Ward's proposals. Sir Wilfrid I .aijrior said; "I iimst say, with sill due detewncn to Si.i' iTosoph Wni'ilj thnt the jweposat seems to mo to 1)6 'i l>so!'.it elv iitiprrsei io;>hi.i%' *
Mr. Fistar (tho Primo Minister of the (.'oinmor.wcalth), sa id that "if wo »'c»« t# taka tj» path Sir Joseph Wnrd i.vivitos us to take, I inn tff aphtfen that ws, should ro tract* our «icps early and hurriedly." tteiuwa'l Botha, said: ''I htivo Very carefully .considered tlio proposal. but I ' cannot come to any other conclusion, than that the objections against stfch n scheme ni'o far weightier than any benefits that way arise- ttoref.r<'iiu, and I regret, therefor*?, that I shall Hot ho able to record my vote in favour ©f it, Sir IWvrard Morris said: "Any scheme af represßrttatio-n. no matter what y<m nia.v cull it, Parliament or CtKUvcil, of the overseas Dominions) must liavo wo : Very small it roi:irese>!tidifi.ft that it would be practically of no value." Mr. Asrririth ■(PresMerit' of tho Oottfereurcji j, said: "Sir ,Tos?pls Ward; in « speech the I ability and interest of which wo tii! aek- j ftmsrtcdgp, which must ;md. niufenibiedli' j did, represent the OKWHdfhire of a ; great ileal of time and thought, ka.s nfe-' scntcd us with a ermercte jiriwositwu, hut it is a proposition which ~ nofe » single representative of any of the other . Dominions now, or myself as rcßww.t--ing for the time being, the I.'mpertil; Government, could ivosssMy assent t<i,: For what would Sir Joseph' Ward's pro, posal ofliiie to? I might describe tho effect of it without .going into details, j in a couple fit' fMiiteuoes it would :m- j pith l , If not altogether tetany, iibe f anlhorilv _of the tlwminiMit kf the | •United Kingdom in s«ch iirnvc- niattws | as the H?ni.h)ot. of f«M«n p'nljeiy, the «>.n- I elnsiun of treaties, the $<?elrir;itimi nfidi mainiemmeo of twace, or the dwJafjttwn''l of war, and nuked all those relation | with foreign JVnv-ftrs; vrooessa.i'ih' m the 1 ttios-fc firfeite cJiafaohif which "are now ' Hi the h-mds <>? ijio Impcri.;! C-mern- i incur. Snbi'v-t, (o its i-esninnsthilifv lo j (ho Impel ml i.'Seliawnt, !h:.i Hiithwitr i enjmob un 5,1 m ■ 0.-I. 11-1 Hip c?M?xis't.' v nec 1 1 side by side with the Cabisot, of the j'
United Kincfc:, of this jxfopo-s.Fil bffdy> Glottal wiili the tactions and tlic juriscl.ietion. ivhic.ii. Sir Waul pre, pesoa to (invest ft with, woiil l, in mir JiiiiUMiciil, bo !ib.soiiii.<iv fatal to our piesont- system of reffpojtgijilb CJ| o-vei-ii--iltOUt." j;;V,: Imoracticrnblc Proposals.Continuing, Ail. Asijuiiii Sid: "V,V i tiTij Bnitt,].! j/,i W |iii'o b.oltim) ji.s., -pitlver "Oil! Jiisint M vi»«- of tlw Tliltoti wi' lrtiH the P«i!.;|. oi: viow , a f i-1 i W W«iyiii!ioiis, Assent to ioi usafs «'i.i 1) wo futal t |„, Vi , IV " IJiUi filmed ttm Mjjhost DonMWO rewMrt as m have l a , 0 ability, wjth which -Sir do&cmli Vi iud lias i)r«'.saiit<Hl his c.'iso, and » , W'oat iivai of ;nmpathy wiili m:mv of t n> objects lie liiis in view, I flunk \vn must ficroo thai <in its own merits this pwpoai is not a pßWtj ea l „ne, and fnS' i"J ? yld te f )OW,t "!® 80, Sa W fact itet rt not only dsfts not I'cecivo i!u; nuammous tonsejit of ail (ho rei-re-seatatiros, Mto Otftttiftiews, but ; s repudiated by them nil, atept Sir Joseph Wnrd himself, .i s .for this |iurpesos of u:.i« conference a. fatal, ami. vh'viian*" iimiliorabi< ' o!i i w > io " V its Aftor hepriiif; tlm oiimioM , the I nmo .Minister on his, pronosii), Sir Joseph ard .said: "In view of (ho exPR'SSfftii <tf <ipiiii«ix o'f ■ flie .rncmfedw of ■i !, ' --i.tjainst the roMi'lminn, l tiiinu it would bo Irss emban-.isstiiii .(if !.hcm, iind eortainlv Wrto til acetti'd with m.v oivn desire, tltnfc 1 should nsJc that vlio r<!sni.v,<io.u. niiA'ilig been (fkclissraJ., be withilrnw.ii:-' • >J)'. Amwih (the- presi.d<>.nts tfep.n" • S " ltl • "1-flunk llw is iiiiielt tlic lir-Uer ctiu:rs^ ? and I am.'sitir tho wmforatei' would Airse? wiili ilint." Qii osiiehiding his remarks o.u -ton-vat el.eieiiee, tlio Hon. .Mr. Fisher was Joiulv applauded. A hearty vote of tha.nks W the 'Jbnistor for his eloquent ac]-. ■di'ns'sj aim a i.uotioii of coiviidoiice ,iii t n presett Osvoriini-ciiii, with the. iiopo that they slnnild remain hi j lower, was earned ainids.l tremendmis applause. A mfltieii of J jiojik-S to the thai..i , m.aii crtftcltej'&d ono oi the best Micctiims vot iH'ul ni Oaiiiati!.
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Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2146, 12 May 1914, Page 5
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1,573NAVAL POLICY Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2146, 12 May 1914, Page 5
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