EMPIRE DEFENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19996, 13 January 1927, Page 9

EMPIRE DEFENCE

INCREASED CONTRIBUTION REQUIRED.

STATEMENT BY MR COATES.

(Pros* Association—Bt PelegTapti- Copyright)

NEW YORK, January 11. (Received Jan. 12, at 7.40 jp.m.) Mr Coates and his party arrived this evening from England and entrained almost immediately for Montreal. In the course of a brief statement, in which he foreshadowed a gradual increase of New Zealanders per capita contribution for defence until the amount “compares favourably with that of the Mother Country” Mr Coates described the New Zealand navy aa a “unit of the Imperial Navy” rather than & complete organisation in itself. He expressed agreement with Mr Bruce that the dominions mast share fully the ccst of Imperial defence or “accept a position of national inferiority.’’—A. and N.Z. Cable.

CANADA’S DUTY

MR BRUCE TALKS TO CANADIANS,

VANCOUVER, January 12. (Received Jan. 12, at 10.35 p.m.) Canada’s duty in the matter of defence in view of the equal status of all overseas dominions of the Empire was discussed by Mr Bruce before a record gathering of the Canadian Club here last night. He said that he did not presume to dictate Canada’s policy, but he took the view; "We are all members of the same family, and I. take the relative’s right to give my point of view.” To those who said that Canada needs no defence, he said: “Either they take shelter behind their membership in the British Empire or behind the United States Monroe doctrine. No nation with pride could occupy such a position.” —A. and N.Z. Cable.