THE DEFENCE OF NEW ZEALAND PORTS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1483, 16 November 1878, Page 3

THE DEFENCE OF NEW ZEALAND PORTS.

DEPUTATION TO THE HON. THE COLONIAL SECEETABT. A deputation of gentlemen resident in Christchurch, Lyttelton, and the surrounding districts, waited upon the Hon, the Colonial Secretary (Colonel Whitmore), at thelCity Council Chambers, at eleven o’clock yesterday morning, for the purpose of making some enquiries, and if possible gaining some information on the subject of the defence of New Zealand ports, particularly of Lyttelton. The deputation consisted of Messrs E. C. J. Stevens (M.H.R. for the city), P. Cunningham, Booth, Harman, Allwright, E. B. Bishop, Stead, Palmer, J. L. Coster, J. Inglis, and William White. Mr Stevens, who acted as spokesman, said he would first ask the Colonial Secretary if he would be good enough to receive the deputation and hear what they had to say. He might say that the deputation was one which 'fully represented the financial, commercial, and shipping interests of the people of Christchurch and Lyttelton, if not of Canterbury, and he need scarcely say that they all took a very deep interest in the question of defence, not merely because there was at the present time some fear of complications in Europe, in which England might possibly be involved, but on broad and general grounds, for it had been for some time past felt that sufficient provision had not been made for the defence of our seaports. The deputation was aware that an appropriation had been made for the purchase of a number of heavycuns, and it had been hoped that those guns would already have been here. The object therefore of the deputation was to ask him (Colonel Whitmore) if ho saw fit to inform them when those guns might reisonably bo expected to arrive. No doubt public anxiety would ho satisfied by the information as to when the works necessary for the batteries would be put in hand, and also under what supervision they would be carried into effect. The question ns to the number of guns would also, bethought, ho a matter that might fairly come before them; and it would also be very grali ying to the deputation to know under what system the batteries when erected would be worked, the force that would be employed to superintend the guns, keep them in order, and so forth. In the few remarks that he had made he did not remember that ho had omitted anything that he had been requested to bring before the notice of the Colonial Secretary. If ho had the other members of the deputation would perhaps bo good enough to bring it forward. But he thought ho had spoken of everything necessary.

Colonel Whitmore asked if any other gentleman was desirous of saying a few words. Mr Harman would like to ask whether the Government had received any information from the home authorities as to the guns having left the old country for the harbours of of New Zealand.

The Mayor of Christchurch did not catch very clearly from Mr Stevens the remarks on the question of the position of the batteries. Had lie stated that their position had been decided upon ? Mr Stevens —No, I did not say so. The Mayor of Christchurch said this would bo a very important matter : and he wished to know if the selection of the positions for the batteries was to be left to persons who were capable of being good judges upon such a subject, and whose advice ought to be acted upon. Mr Cunningham said ho thought Mr Stevens was about to ask for that information, and also with regard to the working of batteries by volunteers. Mr Stevens said he had done so.

The Hon. the Colonial Secretary said he could fully recognise the truth of Mr Stevens opening remarks as to tho important character of the deputation, and the very great interests they represented —interests of all different kinds spread over the province, and for that reason he was disposed to go a little further than he might otherwise have done. At the present time there was nothing that had taken place with the Home Government in reference to this matter that was not of a confidential nature. They hud had consultations with very high officers, whose names were a guarantee us to the high distinction they boro in tho science of batteries, gunnery, Ac. A commission at home had gone into the whole subject on behalf of the New Zealand Government, but unfortunately the despatches hearing on tho subject which had been received by that Government wore marked “Confidential.” The Government had been under great difficulties, in consequence of the secrecy that they had been obliged to keep on the subject through these confidential despatches. Gentlemen would recognise the fact that it was not usual to make public any matters so marked ; but, as time had gone on, and the population of the country wished to know what had been done, he had determined to go a little beyond the usual practice, and let them know something on tho subject. And ho did this tho more freely because the confidential despatches to which he had referred bore a very strong resemblance and were almost the same as Sir William Jorvois’s report, and, as he found this was the case, ho would explain to that meeting, as far as he could, what was the case and how things stood. It was the opinion of practical men that Lyttelton and the other chief ports could bo defended by very powerful cannon, so that no vessel, not being armour-plated, could stand any chance of getting into the harbour in the face of three or four such guns well posted. From a steady platform, such as the solid ground, these guns could be made verj effective, and a source of great damage and danger to the enemy on board ship, and a very tew shots would probably cause their iGreat or destruction. Now although great ability had been shown in the report of Sir William Jervois, and a great deal of valuable information had been brought to bear, still he (the speaker) was bound to say that in his humble opinion, and perhaps he had no right to sot his opinion as opposed to the authority of such masters in the science of defence —ho was compelled to differ from tho report that had boon drawn up on tho defence of New Zealand harbors, though not. on professional grounds. He maintained that the colony would not be able to c arry out such a scheme. Let them take the harbor of Wellington for instance, ft was proposed to protect that harbor in a a way which it was impossible the colony could carry out. They proposed to protect the Heads, it was (rue, but what good ’would that be to the town or shipping if a cruiser once g>t inside, and it was quite possible one might s’ip in at night time or in a mist. Once past the Heads, she could run right into the harbor, and could bombar 1 the town and shipping without the slightest fear of tho batteries at the lit ads That was one very strong objection to the scheme, hut there was another, and that was

tlio objection there would be in the country to k<cp a permat unity paid force lor thepurpes.' of manning these batteries—it wos a tiling which he lor one would despair of gating

Parliament to v.»to. In reply to the question on that i u'jjoct, ho would say that he hoped that it would bo possible to have some one maintained at each of these batteries to keep the guns in good order, to keep people away from them, and to protect the ammunition. Ho aho hoped to have sufficient instruction given to volunteer officers by competent persons, to enable them to work the guns without ddli julty. In the event of the arrival of a hostile cruiser he trusted to the present volunteer force to give a good account of itself. He did not wish them to think that because ho was nrofessionally educated that he was able to be a better judge of such matters than those who hud drawn up the report, and it had been resolved to get the highest professional authority, viz., Ma jor ticratchley, to report on this question of harbor defences, and by the time the guns had arrived that gentleman would bo at their disposal. According to the plans of the Commission, who had sat in London, there were now coming out to the colony—though be bad not received a telegram from Sir Julius Vogel to that exact effect —not only eleven 7-ton guns and eleven new HI pounders, which were 3-ton guns, muzzle loaders, but also a complete torpedo apparatus for t he working of submarine mines. It was found that the first system of torpedoes invented was no use, bub the present system of submarine mines, ploding by electricity, was highly effective and destructive. It was intended to protect the following ports with these mines :—Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, and Nelson. There would also be a number of other guns supplied to the Government for the protection of such harbors as the Bluff, Oamaru, and Tirnaru. The guns would have been hero eight or nine months ago-—or at all events, speaking more guardedly, have been here two or three months ago, or at all events by this time, but for the Home Government, That Government came to the conclusion that things looked a little brighter,and not wishing to send out the old pattern which had been altered, they had waited in order to send out arms of a more improved character, viz,, the new pattern 64-pounders. Afterwards, on a communication being received from Sir Win. Jervois, that gentleman had informed the New Zealand Government that if they wished to get the guns quickly they had hotter telegraph homo for them. Upon receiving that communication ho (the speaker) telegraphed home the same evening. The question of the number of guns which would bo to each of the harbors was, he thought, hardly of much importance. That matter would probably bo subject to some modifiation on their arrival. But the five principal harbors he had mentioned would have the largo guns divided among them, and would be fully protected by sub-marine mines. He was quite certain that there would be no stint in the guns or other warlike materials, as the Commission were not likely to underdo anything of this kind. They were not underpaid, and therefore would fully and fairly consider the whole question. Their credit depended upon the correctness of their report, and they were not likely to stint in any way, while the guns were likely to be amply sufficient. Ho had received no reply to his telegram asking the Homo Government to forward the guns immediately, but as the correspondence from the Secretary of War stated they would he sent as soon as possible, there was not likely to be any delay. With regard to the battery that it was proposed to erect here, it was in a very different position from that at Wellington, where the battery could be cut off by a land force. This co.dd not be the case here, where the battery was so close to the town, and communication was so easy, which was by no means the case in Wellington. A small detachment could hold the battery here without fear of surprise, and could wait till reinforced. Then the complete system of mines would be a great safeguard. All the other questions, he thought, had been incidentally answered in the course of his remarks. If not, perhaps some member of the deputation would kindly point it out to him. He might before sitting down say a word with regard to the artillery. It was proposed to put these volunteers into one distinct organisation, with the same dress, drill, Ac., so that, in the event of a misfortune, and the artillery of one harbor being rendered useless, the detachments could bo brought from any other part of the colony by rail or otherwise, and could at onco fall in and take their place. It was an organisation which had a precedent in England, where the art illcry of one part was really the same as the artillery of another. It was not proposed to keep any permanent force, as proposed by Sir William Jervois, but if the men were called out for active service then they would bo paid in the same way that the volunteers o the North Island were when they were called out. With such an organisation as was proposed, he did not sec how it was possible that a naval attack could be made upon their harbors. With regard to any ironclad visiting our shores, that was an extremely remote contingency, for in the firgt place they must remember that an ironclad did not carry more than a six days’ supply of coal with her, and when they likewise reflected that these vessels cost about threequarters of a million of money each, they might easily conceive that no foreign Government would care to risk so valuable a vessel on so long and dangerous a cruise. No other vessel but an ironclad could hope to make its way into our harbors against such guns and such torpedo lines of defence as wo should have hero before long, and if they had trading steamers altered to act as privateers they would run a very great risk of having their boilers and machinery destroyed from the vertical fire of the guns, or even from a steady horizontal one. A shot fired !in such a way would quickly destroy such a vessel. Then when they came to consider that stress of weather might drive a vessel into harbor, or that it might have to come in of its own accord to get water and fuel, they would see what risks she would run as an enemy when wo were so well prepared to receive her. He was not one of those who thought that an intruding enemy’s vessel could do much harm. He failed to see what they had to fear from a vessel manned by a hundred men in a town containing its thousands of male inhabitants. Why Captain Fairchild, of the Ilinemoa, had said that should ho find such a vessel in any of our ports he would crowd all he could upon her and run her down, for it hud boon proved during recent collisions that the vessels rammed were the sufferers, the others getting off very cheaply. For Ida own part, he should rat her have thought that should such a vessel enter our harbors she would soon be boarded by the inhabitants. Where they had one or two big guns she would soon ho knocked to pieces. With regard to big fighting vessels like the Alabama, it was hardly likely they would venture into the harbor. They would rather lay out on t he high seas in the track of trading ships and wait for plunder. In these days of telegraphs and quick despatch, they would chance too much to come near the shore at all. As a rule they liked to keep their movements dark, and this could not bo done by entering the harbors of New Zealand. This question ol bombarding was, in his opinion, altogether over-rated. With the big ordnance and projectiles carried uoiy-a-duya, a very few hundreds would soon exhaust a vessel. And they must not suppose that every shot would be destructive ; they might tire a hundred before they did any harm. Though probably alarmed at first, the people would soon get accustomed to them, and a very large number might be fired bcioro the town was set fire to. For his own part he considered the danger greatly exaggerated. Still, to prevent themselves from being insulted, and to make themselves respected, lie thought they should have proper guns properly mounted, and for the protection of their coasting craft. These were tho reasons why he thought they should fortify their coasts, for lie did not. think there was (be slightest fear of the colony being bombarded. With regard to the coming to the town and levying mad upon it, no captain of a xnan-of-war cl a civilised power w ould think of doing it Modern warfare was totally opposed to that. He would remain at sea and take his legitimate spoils, there. Any interruption of tho intercolonial and local shipping trade would be quite fair, hut the other vq.ut not. With regard to the gnus, he could only say they would be bore tin - year, and as Colonel Scratcbley was very busily employed, they should not send for him until thv, guns actually arrived, Ho

was at present in the pay of New South Wales, and it was a sort of a favour to get him at all. He now thought he had answered all the questions. Mr Harman asked whether the Govern* ment intended to place any organisation in charge of any of the batteries, and of which. The present artillery were only field artillery. As the Government intended to rely upon them, did they intend to ask them for any special offer of service. Colonel Whitmore said the artillery were quite suitable. The British Artillery were the same kind of artillery. The education of the artilleryman of that branch comprehended also the use of larger arms, and he thought the New Zealand Artillery would have no difficulty in the matter of practice, attention to range, Ac., which would bo taught them by suitable persons. The drill manual gave every information, and was supposed to be able to teach all the ordinary working of guns to those who studied it. In answer to a question put by Mr Stead, Colonel Whitmore said he did not think it right to state what number of guns would be landed at the different ports. Ho had said all that he could say to them on the subject. Mr Cunningham said Colonel Whitmore had spoke about the ease with which an enemy could attack the town and shipping in Wellington if the Heads were once passed. Did he not think the same thing might happen at Lyttelton if the batteries were placed at the Heads ? Colonel Whitmore replied that so far as he could learn from charts, he did not think so. In Wellington the Heads were nine miles from the town, with communication nearly cut off. Here it was very different. Mr Cunningham said he had asked the question because he had seen a plan of defence for Lyttelton, at which it was proposed to place the batteries half way up the harbor.

Mr Harman observed that this plan was drawn up by Colonel Moulo,

Colonel Whitmore said that the batteries, as proposed by Colonel Moule, would not bo favorable to the present style of arms or tho present condition of the country. Mr Harman referred to Colonel Scratchley’s report on Hobart Town, which was so well defended that no enemy’s vessel could lie off the town without being destroyed.

Colonel Whitmore remarked that hero it was different. There were so many harbors in New Zealand, in which respect it was very different from tho colonics of New South Wales and Victoria, where defence could be maintained at a comparatively small expense. Mr Stevens, on behalf of the deputation, thanked Colonel Whitmore for tho courtesy they had met with and the information ho had given them. The deputation then withdrew.