DOMINION'S NAVAL POLICY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 668, 13 May 1914, Page 5

DOMINION'S NAVAL POLICY.

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S STATEMENT. GOVERNMENT ON ITS DEFENCE. [by telegraph.—rxrcss association.] Wellington, Thi3"Day. Sir Joseph Ward has issued a lengthy statement of naval defence in reply <o the Hon. Mr Fisher's remarks at Oamaru. He adheres to his contention that New Zealand should be associated with, and attached to, the Imperial Navy, and should not launch into the expense of a local navy. Concluding, he says: "I am not on my defence for new navy proposals; it is tha Massey Government who are called upon tn defend local navy policy. I made it clear at the Impsrir.l «m----ference that no resolution agreed to by the conference be binding on New Zealand until ratified by Parliament. The scheme I outlined at the conference i 3 not before the country. It is a local navy policy inaugurated by the Massey Government, and put through the House by the Reform Farty, although it had n;:ver been before the country." DEFENCE MINISTER'S ATTITUDE POSITION MOST UNSATISFACTORY. Auckland, This Day. Referring to the naval question last evening the Minister of Defence stated nothing further had transpired lately regarding the suggested Imperial Defence Conference. No date had been named, but the question is ore that must t>o settled shortly. In view cf tha breakdown of the 1909 agreement, we must knew where vce are in regard to the future defence cf the Pacific, and Australia more paiticularly must know where she is. Australia hag done more than she was requirei to do under the 1909 agreemenr, and the position from her point of view, as well as that of New Zealand, is most unsatisfactory.