FARMERS & THE FLEET

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2209, 23 July 1914, Page 9

FARMERS & THE FLEET

INTERESTING DEBATE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE ADVOCATED Naval policy questions wore discussed by thel Dominion Conference of the Now /oalaiid farmers' Union yesterday, E<)SS Auckland) moved: _ That this conference, while af- • arming the position that New Zealand should contribute its fair share towards the defence of the Empire, is of opinion that the proposed change of policy in regard to the naval subsidv is such an all-important matter, and fraught with such serious and farreaching results, that the Dominion should not finally, bo committed until tho matter has been moro fully discussed." Mr.'Boss said that there had been some criticism because the 1909 agreement had not been adhered to. Tho fact was that the British authorities knew best, and the criticism was, therefore, useless. A few ships of our own cruising about the China Seas and occasionally coming down here would be merely a show. It was more important that the Port of London should be kept open for our produce. It had been said that any contribution made by New Zealand .only lessened the burden on the British taxpayer. Our contribution, was 2s. per head, and that of the British taxpayer 255. por head. He thought wo should increase our contribution to the British Navy. If New Zealand was closely settled the country would not be in danger. It was our emptv spaces which would encourage Asiatics, and therefore what we really .ueeded was population. Tho motion was seconded by Captain Colbeck, who said that a good deal had been said of Japan being our possible enemy, but the fact was that the' possible enemy was changing every day. Japan had its hands full without worrying about New Zoaland. It had Russia and Manchuria to attend to, and there would be another conflict between Russia and Japan as certainly as 'the Bun would riso again. A great European Power was building a huge navy as a throat to Britain, and there lay the possible eneny of to-day. Yesterday the possible enemy was France, and to-morrow it might be Russia,' and the forces ■ might be concentrated in the. Pacific. "My idea," he continued, "is this: instead of messing about with a little, tin-pot navy, our duty is plainly before us.. Let us increase our contribution to £600,000, and then we aro only doing what is less than our duty." Mr. H. G. ; -Livingstone (North Canterbury), said that he would support the remit, but he did not think' the delegates were, in a position to make the oritioism that had been uttered. Mr. A. Mackay remarked that the Japanese could not find enough hours in a day for warship building, and they svere building with the object of dominating the. North Pacific. ' '■'■ Mr. Hugh. Morrison (Masterton) said that tho white.races of the world numbered 500 millions, and tho yellow races £50 millions, but, while the yellows owned only; one-ninth of" the', world's territory, the whites owned nine-tenths. The Chinese'were so prolific that they doubled their population in,so years. Ihese yellow peoples, who were, alien'to us in religion, and so many other mat'ters,< must-find more land, and the thinlyl populated land' about the Pacific included Australia and New Zealand. There was our danger and he thought that our safety lay. in .founding' a navy of';<jur own 'and forming an alliance;withAustralia;.' Canada; ' and the: ,United States for the purpose of mutual protec>tion against, a.common.danger. , ■ \, ':' Mr. George -Gardner (Morth Canter? bury) said that it was all very well to sneer at "toy navies," but there might perhaps bo a sneer at something else— at toy nobility. .Mr. ,J. M'Queen,(Southland) said that New Zealand had a considerable amount of sea coast, and might'in the future be a, maritime, nation. Therefore we should train our boys for tho sea, and prepare at once for what was likely to be our future. . I Mr. W..8. Matheson (Eketahuna) remarked "that the question had been raised as to whether the delegates were capable o? discussing the question. > He thought, they were, but did not intend to discuss the subject, because to do so thoroughly would entail weeks in session and power to call evidence. But, I. while the delegates were capable of discussing the subject, the Minister of Defence was more capable, oecauso, in addition to being a man with a real love of New Zealand, and anxious to, do his best for the country, he had moro information' than the delegates had. (Hoar, hear.). ';■''■ l ' ~ Replying, Mr. Ross said that it had been declared by those opposed .to him that wo iieededia local navy to keep our trade routes open'; Well, a chain was only as strong as its weakest link, and, if the trade, routes to England could not be kept open by tho British Navy, our chain was weak.' Tho point, therefore, was to strengthen the 'British Navy. •'■''■' ' '-. • Finally, by. 26 votes to 3, the motion was carried, with, an addition to the effect that "the final decision-should he deferred till after the Imperial Conference."