DEFENCE OF THE COLONIES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 855, 31 October 1870, Page 2

DEFENCE OF THE COLONIES.

[evening post.] The active exertions which are being made to place the principal ports of Australia in a state of defence contrasts strangly with easy-going indifference shown in this Colony on the same subject; and yet every fresh torpedo laid down iu Port Phillip or Port Jackson increases the danger to which the New Zealand ports must be exposed in case of England becoming involved in the war. It is not likely that any hostile power would ever care to make the attempt to permanently occupy any of the Australasian colonies. They are not like what the West Indian Crown Colonies were in olden days, im* portant strategetioal positions, commanding an ocean highway along which a large portion of Britain's richest commerce was obliged to pass, The permanent possession of any of the Australasian Colonies would be a kind of white elephant to France, Prussia, or America, for even in times of peace none of these powers are colonizing nations. It would only be in a military point of view that permanent occupation would even be thought of; and if attempted it would have to be maintained! by military force. It is impossible, however, to see what inducement any foreign power could have to attempt such a thing ; and the danger to which Australia and New Zealand are exposed is of a very different character. The principle of laying the enemy's towns under contribution —of, in fact, making the enemy, where possible, contribute to the maintenance of Uie armies used against himr—is pretty generally recognised, and always acted upon where it can be. To any power at war with England tb.e towns of Australia and New Zealand would, to all intents and purposes, be those, of the enemy, and it would be a perfectly legitimate proceeding for a war vessel to visit any of those towns and demand a large sum of money under threat of shelling the. town. As far as Nqty Zea]an,4 \&

concerned this might be done with complete success and absolute impunity in almost any of the towns. The only protection we have is the presence of one of her Majesty's ships on some part of the coast. A very small vessel, anchoring in Wellington, Auckland, or Port Chalmers, might demand almost any sum of money - those in command might fix, and the demand would have to be complied with. If the enemy was foolish enough to land, no doubt our volunteers would ; ,be able to give a good account of any force likely to be sent on shore, but it is not likely that a single man would land. Any hostile ship might enter at night, and train its guns on the city before its pre« sence in the port was known to a single person. Once under the guns of such a craft, it would be impossible for the city to avoid purchasing its safety at almost any price. To attempt to resist would be worse than madness, as it would inevitably result in the destruction of property probably of a value far in excess of the amount demanded by the unwelcome visitor, and in the destruction of life as well. The Governments of New South Wales and Victoria are perfectly alive to the truth of all this, and are taking precautionary measures accordingly to prevent the entrance of a hostile vessel into their ports. They are not doing this by a system of expensive fortifications, — * indeed it is now an axiom of military engineering science that no permanent fortifications can efficiently protect any port from naval attack; but they are doing it by arranging all kinds of dangers and impediments in the way of unauthorised entrance. Lines of torpedos are being laid down, strong chains prepared for drawing across the channel, and provision being made for the rapid removal, in oase of necessity, of all the buoys and beacons which show the safe way into harbour. The cost of preparations of this character is not very enormous, and it is on defences of this kind which we should rely in New Zealand. Naturally, our ports-~Wellington, perhaps, much more difficult of access than either Hobson's Bay or Port Jackson, and it would not be very difficult to render the entrance to any of them exceedingly perilous to any hostile vessel. But if we do not do something of this kind, every fresh torpedo laid down in the Australian ports increases our danger. While Melbourne and Sydney were undefended, they, of course, were richer prizes to any enemy than any of the New Zealand ports; but if those towns are defended, a French captain, thinking of laying some of the Australasian towns, would probably exclaim, iu reference to Melbourne and Sydney, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, and would immediately turn his attention to some of the New Zealand towns, where, if the prize might not be quite so large, it could at least be secured without either danger or difficulty.