The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5510, 23 November 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1878.

The Honorable Colonial Secretary appears to have been discoursing at large to the people of the South on the . subject of colonial defence. His first deliverance was at the banquet which followed the volunteer review at Dunedin on Saturday week. That being an after-dinner speech, and the Ministry having on a former occasion deprecated being pinned to any expressions of opinion which they may utter after a banquet in Dunedin, it would be unfair to lay much'stress upon the very considerable amount of foolishness which Colonel Wiutmore managed to compress within a speech of very moderate length. “At “ that period of the evening,” said he, “ they were very much more inclined to “ drink than to talk.” Those friends who read what ha did say will probably regret that he did not follow his inclination and hold his peace. The second occasion, however, on which Colonel Whitmobe expounded his views on defence was of much more importance, aud his speech being of a formal character and delivered at eleven o’clock in the morning, there is no reason to suppose that he will object to his remarks being considered literally, and treated as a deliberate exposition of policy. On Friday in last week he was met in Christchurch by a deputation described as representing Christchurch, Lyttelton, and the surrounding districts, who propounded to him some curious and very pertinent questions. They wanted to know when the heavy guns, for which an appropriation had been made, would arrive in the colony ; when the works necessary for the batteries would be put in hand; under what system they would be worked, and similar particulars. Colonel Whitmore preluded his reply by saying that all the despatches which the Government had received on this subject were marked “confidential,” and that they had been under great difficulties in consequence. Nevertheless, as the deputation and the country were so pressing, and “as time had gone on. ... he

had determined to go a little beyond the usual practice and lec them know something on the subject.” Is it to be inferred from this oracular utterance that at some recent period of New Zealand’s history time has been standing still, and that at such periods, and only such, it is imperative that official confidences should be observed ? Such excuses as those made by Colonel Whitmore are so odd that it is difficult to believe they were seriously advanced even by him. The truth appears to be that the Government chose to use the plea of “confidential” as long as Parliament was in session, and their action was liable to be efficiently criticised, but now that the prorogation has been reached, the need for mystery has been removed.

With respect to what Colonel Whitmore said in the course of his revelations to the deputation at Christchurch, we confess that wo have not been able to derive much comfort from his speech. He believed that about the end of the year there would arrive in the colony eleven seven-ton guns, and eleven new sixty-four pounders, also a complete torpedo apparatus for the working of submarine mines. The five principal ports, Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, and Nelson, would have these large guns divided among them, and would be fully protected by submarine mines. A number of other guns would also be supplied by the Government for the protection of such harbors as the Bluff, Oamaru, and Timaru. As for the force by which the guns were to be manned, he despaired of getting Parliament to sanction the expenditure necessary to maintain a permanently paid force, but he hoped to have some one at each battery to keep the guns in good order; and he also hoped to have sufficient instruction given to volunteer officers by competent persons to enable them to work the guns without difficulty. It was proposed to put these volunteers into an organisation, so that in the event of tho artillery of one harbor being rendered useless, detachments could be brought'frorn any other part of the colony by rail or otherwise, and could at onco fall in and take their place.' Of course, it is assumed that the enemy will be considerate enough to abstain from hostilities while this transport of detachments is going on, and will be careful not to interfere with the changes. Of course, also, it will be a point of honor with the foe to attack the port to which tho artillerymen have been taken, and to abstain from doing any harm to the port at which the guns have been left bare of gunners for the purpose of the change, A chivalrous foe will be expected to agree to these arrangements, otherwise New Zealand must positively decline ,to fight. But all tho world knows that the semi-piratical privateers, who are alone likely to visit these seas, aro always manned by the flower of the world’s chivalry, and therefore we need have no anxiety on such grounds ! Our readers may bo able to judge from the above what is the general nature of the scheme of defence which the Government propose to adopt. But with respect to it, - the gallant Colonel’s mind appears to be involved in a singular entanglement of incongruities, indicating, if they indicate anything, that the Government have not oven yet considered this question of defence, or arrived at any deliberate opinion concerning it. Thus he told the deputation that it was the opinion of practical men- among whom of Course he includes himself—that Lyttelton and tho other chief ports could bo defended by cannon, so that no vessel not being armour-plated could stand any chance of getting into the harbor in tho face of three or four heavy guns well posted. He then immediately proceeds to knock on the head any idea of security which might be inspired by these words, by saying : —“ They (tho Commissioners) proposed to protect the Hoads, it was true, but what good would that be to the town or shipping if a cruiser onco got inside, and it was quite possible one might slip in, at night time, or in a mist.” He relies greatly upon the proposed system of torpedoes, and this, bo it remembered, wifhout a paid aud thoroughly trained torpedo corps to manage them. Thero is, moreover, no reference to the recent experiments at Homo, wherein it was conclusively demon-

strated that it was a comparatively easy matter to neutralise, by countermining, the supposed protection of harbors by submarine mines. Then again, he did not expect that any hostile ironclads would visit us, because they were too expensive and could not carry coal enough, and “ if trading steamers were altered to act as privateers they would run a very great risk of having their boilers and machinery destroyed by the vertical or even the horizontal fire of the guns, if such vessels escaped being run down by Captain Fairchild in the Hinemoa. Colonel Whitmore had at this period apparently forgotten the vessels which might slip in at night time or in a mist. As to a cruiser bombarding a colonial city, the Minister treated that as quite an airy horror, conjured up by old women. “ They must not suppose that every shot would be destruction ; they might fire a hundred before they did any harm. Though probably alarmed at first, the people would soon get accustomed to them.” This ground of comfort appears to us unsatisfying. If Colonel Whitmore speaks sooth, if it bo possible to get accustomed to shells exploding in a city, and if cruisers are not likely to carry enough of them to do much harm, as he indicates, then what in the name of Providence is the use of fortifying or protecting ourselves against cruisers at all. It is true that in other parts of the world, in former wars, towns have been bombarded by cruisers, and fired by single vessels. But the enemies who are to visit our seas are to be humane and gentle-minded. Perhaps they may even charge their guns with squash melons. Finally, Colonel Whitmore told the deputation that no man-of-war of a civilised Power would come and levy black mail on a colonial town. Modern warfare was totally opposed to that, he said. Any interruption of the home or local shipping trade would be quite fair, but the other would not. Thus it appears that the Defence Minister expects to find the most chivalrous of foes in such scum of mankind as are likely to embark on privateering expeditions. There aro many other points in the wonderful speech on which we have been commenting which are open to criticism, but we think enough has been said to illustrate sufficiently tho imbecility of the mode in which the Government are dealing with this great question of defence. There is no need to seek for outside o.v confirmatory evidence. Out of his own mouth the Defence Minister must be condemned. His speech demonstrates conclusively that the Government have no definite views, have expended no real thought upon a question which may any day suddenly become the sole question of importance in New Zealand, as involving not merely her wealth, but the lives and the honor of her people.