NEW ZEALAND AND THE NAVY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2150, 16 May 1914, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND AND THE NAVY.

COMMENT ON RECENT SPEECHES. MR CHURCHILL AND OVERSEA. i , . . MINISTERS , J ALGtO-JAPANESE ALLIANCE i By Telogra-pij-Press Association—Ooos'ris'ht London, May 14. In the House of Commons, Mr. I Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, 1 replying to Mr. F. Hall (Unionist nicm* liar for Dulvrtch), said that ho had seen i'ress reports of Now Zealand Ministors' gpeeclios on the Aagjo-Japancso Alliance. If the Now Zealand Government desired to make further proposals before tho Conference Was held the I Admiralty would give them attention. A WHITE AUSTRALIA. ' SPEECH. BY~LORJ) BENMAN , . ! Melbourne, May 15. I Lord'ami Lady Donmcm have departed for England. Speaking at a farewell Parliamentary luncheon Sit-. Cook- (FedCT.il Prime Minister) and Mr. Fisher (Wider of tjio Opposition) eulogised Lord Denman's administration as Governor-General. Lord Donmah, replying, said he had Hnca hero long enough to understand tlie underlying feelings of Anstraliaiw with regard to a White Australia, and he recoenisficl that tho Australian wonhl never bo contest, to rely en n treaty with any foreign Power, limvevef frienijlv that Power was, for the defence* of the Pacific. STATEMENT BY Mβ, MASSEY. PROBABLE CONFERENCE KEXT YEAR. (By Mograiili.—l'rcse B,?«ftetaUtn).) GisbofriS, May 15. Sir. Winston Churchill's statement regarding the speeches af the Now Zealand Ministers and tins Aiiato-Japajicso Agreement was referred to the Premier (Mr. Massoy) by » reporter this evening. Mr. Mas-soy stated that tlio prepßsals of the Now Zealand Government wero already in the hands of the Admiralty. A great number of cablegrams had passed betemni tho Government and Mr. Churchill on the subk'cfe, and nothing further could now bo done uatil tiro Oonferimco met, which he hoped wouid be early aext year. Mr. Massey stated that ho Was lookin" forward with n, great deal of interest to meeting the representatives from the other parts «rf the Empire, to go fully into this important question.

OUR NAVY SHIPS IN WAR TIME. HON. JAS. ALLixSTITES THfi .rosrnoix. When lie was ifttervimverl -a few days ago at Atvekiand β-n the subject of naval defence, the Hon. James Allen was repotted as saying that in the event of war New Zealand ships "would automatically pas-s under the emikol of tho British Admiralty, tiro. position thus being quite different from that of Australia."

Asked "by a Bomikion rojwrto-r ycsfce> tfriy Jioh- far this diff-etwee affected tht> relations .of A,iistrj\litv- .slid. Now Zeakftd in .naval matters,, Mr. 'Alien said that h<! was perfectly well assured that tho Commonwealth had ma.do arrangements, though it did not ; ap-jsoar in their Act, to hand over their ships to the .Admiralty in tho event oftwii'r. It was beyond question, he added, that tho CWlitomvealtk accepted the Imperial ideal. This liacl been clearly established hy tho utterances of Senator 3'oarce and other ffspoHsiblo mcti , ' (n Australian imblic life. Se had mftfely pdntodout that the Attstraliaft law was 'lie-t specific on this point, as was the law in Now feiland, which marlo the- transfer of control to tho Admiralty h\ the oveiit of war puroly atiteiiiatic, and not a question for Ministers to decide. "I still hope," remarked Mr. Alien, "that tho Commaflw-fealtli will brihjs tlw-ii - law into Hue with iis on tins point." Koplyiij.g to further cftiestio-ui, the Dc- ■ fence Minister said that ho had no idea of Eliutting out co-operation batwoen AttSttalia and Now 'Zealand. "There imißt bo co-operation," he continued, "if ffo aro te have s,n Imperial fleat. In order to bring tliis about there- mnsti bo cofojoration between Australia, New Zeak»d, tthd tiro Mother ■ Country, and both Australia ami. Now Z-ealaitd. nnist ba prepared to t-fnasfor eout-ral to the Mother Cowfitry in the eyc-nt of Iv«i% Otiwnvise Oreat Britain would feel that she was not backed up with the full strength necessary to ensure complete efficiency in the conduct of international and diplomatic affaire." 'Wliftt the Mat-o miglst bring about in TOjiarii to the, controlling ai.u-lioi'it.v, the- Minister Went Oμ to state, was a tliiitg for tliose wJvb lilcod to look into tho' ftitiiro to -speculatp tiiisn. There was no doti-bt abotit H, ho coiisiclorGcl, th/iv in timo to come tho Dnraiirtons mist all ha gfa,nted repwsejj* 'tstion upon tho oontrolliug ftntiiority. That there must bt> one controlling authority was clear. New Zealmid ftiid Australia ftiust work togct-hcj , as part, of tho Imperial cniteofn. This cotrntry could not allow Australia to lie rtttackt*! ■ without going to Ivor assistftiK* mtv. more tisan Aivstralin- eould fltai)(3 aWf it Now Zealand fferfe attaefeed. Tho iftterosbs ef the tvrfi cflvvhtries vre-re abso' lutMy the same hi. thfe Pacific.

The DomjiiKvns, Sir. Altai observed, BJmtiM provide add initiiibua their par- ' tieiilar trnits of one great ie.pe'rial Beet. Otily. in this wfiy comkl local juteseat lie arousod, and it was alsft esswjtial that the statesmen of the DoiniiiiOß should bo edweated in jinval quostieft-s so that fchtij' might take a live- interest in tlieiM. The Miuistor declared hinvsdf ' unable to believe that any salf-gflvcriiiiig community that had any self-tospcfft coiild bo content to go on merely paying a Rtitejtjy to the MotJi'w Country. Tlio attitnd© taken up by Sir Joseph Ward was that of a tittle Nflw Zealandor.

Mr. Alien weitt on to renutrk tint what soMie of his Critics liad been trj--iiiß to ropresetit was that to was preiiarcd t,6 join in with Australia, jmd form a separate flcot for the Pacific. This was rtovOT ill his niintl, and he did lint bcliovo that st vfas in .A.MStraliii's itiiivd. The iuea in both countries Was to provitfo Hiiits wliieh svoaM go to foi'fii what hasl lieen cnSled tho Knstorn Fleet of Empire in the Padifie. Ho ronskiorMl that thf. conception of tlto Fleet of Empire was sound. Tho ultimate aim of all ccmeonwd Was tho sarao, Sir. Alton rnfflarkci:! in *dn* Rlusiont oKo iiiiperiftl Fleet ulntfcr ono eoijtrol.

"A PARTY MATTER." MR. FISHFJI HIPtIES TO SIR JOSEPH WARD. /Statements on the- subject of naval cJefcnco made l>y Sir Joseph WafoT iij a speech at Miirtoii mi TliursfJiiy oveiiing wrto brotidM under tlsc tiotten of tiro Mnn.-F. M. B. Visiter I>y a hoMMtos Miwoscutiitivc s'pstor(iav, "Tim reason that T ha.v<> fleprecatcill tiio manner ol' tfeating this nslflstirtn adopted by the Lp;kW of tho Oppcisi' tioii," said 3lr. Fisher, "is that ho lifts ('one ('Vf-rvthkg jwssiblp to tufii this nnestion of naval defonrn itiio n patty matier,' t miiiro' in (he right linn, (jesitlirtftafi's speech delivcfprl tit Mnftflrt last- night lliat, ho sl.ftiotl tiwt tho Reform O'flvenmicnt hflii foffied t!in fCiheffl.c through withoTSt any. authority from the people Sir

Joseph Ward omitted to tell tho people that the Naval Defence 'Bill passed its third reading ~in tho liuuse 'of Representatives by 82 votes to IS, j the 15 including Messrs. HobertsßH, Veiteli, and Welib, three mcnibcre of tin.' Labour party; aim that tho Bill passed the Legislative Council without uny division of any kind, and since tho Legislative Cknurcil is almost Mttireiy coraposed of statesmen appointed by Sir Joseph Ward and his p.iity, ho surely cannot infer that eur legislation was carried in .spite of the roproseiitstives of tho people. I'he plain fact of the matter is that Sir J&abpli Ward is unable to find any fault with tlio policy nf the Government, and ]»s nitaeheil himself almost cempfctdy to this question of naval sMonce. He tiret puts the GovciTiTOGMt into si.il nlinost iHipossiblo .position, and then proucods te tear their policy to pieces. "I have pointed oyit in a previous interview," continued the Minister, "that it would bo well for the public, before they take a lead from Sir .Jesopli Ward in dtfenett matters, to read Ms j preposterously absurd proposals wb.ioh lie placed before tlio Imperial Council in 1911. At that, time Sir .Joseph Ward explained to tire Council that it Was -accessary to have wliat he called '-some α-ltofation in the present disjointed so-called eyjetorn., What did ho mean by that,? That Ire was completely -dissatisfied with the system of contr'iliution wliidi was then in existence, and asked tkej Council to pro New Zealand a voice j in tho alfairs of Empire. New Zea-. land was- to l»o consulted as to wheiter ■ the Empire sent to war or not. fe it ■ n.uy w-oHder that, one by oiio, the Prinio Ministera who wer-e piesoitt at tlio Conteon-ca filiould have -nithlcEsiy torn down the absurd proposals male , by Sir Joseph Ward? Just let the -pub' lie reflect upon what ho suggesttxi. First of all, everyone in the -Empiro was to pay 10s. for' a year towards iSmpiro nsival defence. Tiiie was to cart: Now- Zealand £525,000 per. annum. liv-ste-arl of 'Now Zealand having the Bristol cruiser which, bus been mentioned by Mr. Alien, she was to b-av-e two Dreadnoughts. In fact, so liberal wtjfo Sir Josoim Ward's ideas in coime.irt.ion with Dreadnoughts that }ie movkiocl iu his scheme for three DresKlnoiiglsts for Australia, sis for -Canada, tlireo for South Africa, two fcf New Zealand, and ton for Great Britain. TMs scheme, it might lio rememterod; was evolved e± the time lvhcn tJj.e Leader of the Opposition was sullerittg so scs'«ro : !.y ffoin . what is known ii,s DfoacliMiiight hys- ' teria. Is it any wonder itei that, m ', clear-headed H statesman , as Sir. ( A-sqiiitk informed Sir Joseph Ward, after alt the other Prime- Sftristers \ asscjiAied at tho Conforeiice had point-. «d osit the impossibility of, his pr'opos-' ! als, tlin-t tM Knglish Gov-ernijient could not, "with thfl trad.tti.OßS and history of the British Emjiirq h&liwd Us, either from tho point of view of tho Onited [ Kingdom, or from tlio point of j view of tlw self-governing D.o- ---: minions, assent to .proposals which aro fatal to the very •fundrtnient.al views upon wliirfi mt Etopiro has boei built up and carried &n-. Is ft any ' ffei»der, }> said Mr, Fisher, "that .after hon-ring tuo summary of -Ws views dealt with, sfl siißinia-rily by the assembled Prime Ministers. Sir Joseph Ward was . delighted to -accept, flic polite Jntiinaj t-ioj-j Ji-pni Mr. Asfjuith tliat'.perlwps it 'would be better if he should *i-th>h , a\v • I tho Hwltttum without its bemg voted

"It will bo now to most mejptag' i of the Eauscj" continued Kir. Kslicr, "to now "bo told that fto Hfii'ptm QovOTB«ent f&reed its miquitotts icßlslation tktewfth tbo Hsuse. Since •the Legislative- Cwuuet.l pssscd tire BW iwaninwusiy, I lropo ; Sir Joseph AVaict will ji'dV frem l»is. mvii. argument, tie neoKssfty f<M- a&sistiug us to puss the Legislativo Council IMorm Bill, forhaps I oaght to. rank; itquite plain, bo far as ■α-xtr Bill o-£ kst acsSsoß was emicfirnfidj thai Upon, ouo point Jvoft' '&akiwT lias niiido tlio Hou'teyfeet}}' clorti 1 , aiid tte is tliat ■should sho erer ewii or Rontrola ship or ships it will, upfln d«rfaiatioii of war, automatically pass stful -remtiiu wider tlifl costroh rm3 bo at tlifl diswosiiioa of tho Govefiiwcnt ®f G-rqat Britain until fmft«? has Iseoii declared , ) or until hostilities. hfivfi terminated. That is not tlio case in ather AtetraKα or Omiiwk. In coiichwion, let me sav this, that «o or .ra.isfcttrffsentatioii by ffitoj , nioiriscr e.f the Opposition sliOßld be a-llpwd to cattfie afiy (loiAt i\s to the attitttio ftf the Grtvevnm«nt u.poii this point, that so far fts ■wo are cmiecrwed, wiion Bjiptel roos to wjir r .lfe4v Zeatad is Tsdiin-cJ Iwr-; that we rely at the , present_ tinjo for our protection upaii -Gtreat SritMn. t arid that fe iire not asking tno pesoplo <$ No\V Jsoak-nd to allow Uβ to cut the : Bainte, ©r, es tho prke of oiif not ! onttJhK it, te dem«l that #e bo confitittec! npftii question? of peaco and war.awd diplonracy."