THE BRITISH NAVY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9409, 1 April 1909, Page 5

THE BRITISH NAVY.

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY.

SEEKING TO MAKE CAPITAL OF THE OFFER; United Press Association— By Electric Telegraph, Copyright. London, March 31. The Morning Post says that the building of German battleships has aroused the oversea Dominions full sense of necessities of Imperial defence. After the splendid offer of the Australasian States, fiscal changes are inevitable. The Daily Express says that the Australasian offers appear as the silver lining in the naval cloud. Imperial preference must be-the outcome of the offers of Colonial Dreadnoughts. Mr Balfour, addressing'a crowd of ten thousand at the Agricultural Hall, said that nothing was more moving aud magnificent than the nusolicited response of New Zealand, with a population equal to five twenty-eights of the population of London boroughs. Her gift was equivalent to more per head than the annual taxation per head in Britain. If such gifts were accepted, Britain could not refuse the overseas States preference. Fiscal change was now inevitable, and. a new system must grant what the whole constellation of sister States had steadily, persistently and patiently asked for year after year. All the newspapers display New South Wales and Victoria’s offer.

The Standard says that the value of the Australasian gifts i will sink almost into insignificance besides the moral effect of their noble partnership in the work of Imperial defence. The Daily Mail says the splendid offer will, be received with the warmest gratitude. The offer indicates the enormous • latent resources of men and money in the Empire. The Daily graphic, in applauding New South Wales and Victoria, adds that the Commonwealth realises that it would be impossible to have a voice in the control of the Imperial federation, for which Colonial opinion is not yet prepared. OPINION IN CANADA. Ottawa, March 81. The Hon, Poster, in the Dominion House of Commons, urged Canada to contribute regularly to the Navy. Sir W. Laurier preferred to follow the Commonwealth's example ' and provide the nucleus of a local Navy. Perhaps .in building a navy Germany was preparing to do to Britain on the sea what she did to France on the land. No Britisher could be indifferent to such a prospect. Though the danger ypas not imminent they must be vigilant and be prepared to stump the country in the interests of the defence of the Empire, Ultimately, after the party leaders had conferred a resolution was adopted declaring that the House would cordially approve any necessary expenditure for the speedy organisation of a Canadian naval service, which would co-operate with the Imperial Navy, as the Admiralty suggested to the last Imperial Conference. The Toronto Globe says that as no unanimously precise course is to be taken, Canada will welcome a frank statement as to what naval defence is best for Canada and the Empire.

THE AUSTRALIAN OFFER. * V Sydney, March 81. It has transpired that the Bank of New South Wales and the Commercial Banking Company offered Mr Fisher two millions at 3% P er cent, for the purchase of a Dreadnought, but the offer was declined. The announcement in the English cables that Victoria abd New South Wales had offered a Dreadnought was evidently due to a misconception.

Melbourne, March 31

A conference took place to-day by telephone between the Governments of New South Wales and Victoria with regard to their offer to the Prime Minister to bear their share t on a per capita basis of the cost of presenting a Dreadnought. Mr Murray subsequently stated that the posi - tion was a somewhat difficult one;, The Cabinet would decide at its meeting to-morrow what further steps should be tatken. No formal reply has been received from the Prime Minister, nor have other States announced their attitude. It is understood that they are not inclined to contribute. He would have a further conference with the New South Wales Government tomorrow. MORE FROM MR BALFOUR. Received April 1, 83.0 a.m. London, March 31. Mr Balfour, criticising Mr Asquith’s method of accepting New Zealand’s Dreadnought, declared that such splendid and patriotic liberality ought not to be used as a ralief.to the British taxpayers or as a subvention to the Motherland’s pecuniary necessities but as an additional guarantee of the maintenance Of the Empire’s supremacy. THE COMPETITION IN BUILDING. In the House of Commons Mr MoKenna informed Mr Bellairs that calculating on the same basis in Britain as elsewhere the estimates for tLe new construction cf urmuments

for 1909 1910 totalled £10,256,194, as compared with £10,751,466 in Germany }> _and££lO,ols, lol in the United States. % ■— PRESS COMMENTS. The Daily Mail reports that American imagination is powerfully moved over the Colonies’ wil-ingness to bear the Empire’s burdens. New York Globe says “Are we on the threshold of a change in the relations between the Motherland and Colonies.”

The Westminster Gazette charges Mr Balfour with making party capital of the Colonial Dreadnoughts by linking them with the fiscal question, but it agrees that the present is a favourable moment to consider the whole question of Colonial cooperation in Imperial defence. AUSTRALIA’S OFFER. Received April 1, 10.0 a.m. Sydney, April 1. Mr Wade characterised the naval scheme as a tinpot mosquito fleet. He says the position is most dangerBns because the naval agreement expires in three years MS T, B. TAYLOR’S TELEGRAM.

Writing in the Manawatu Times Mr F. Macdonald remarksln my humble opinion, sir, Mr T. !pJ. Taylor has acted both rightly and wisely. There can be no question that the action of Sir J. Ward and the Ministers is just what Mr Taylor says it is, “unconstitutional, and a most unfortunate interference ’* Since the day when a King of England lost his head for tyrannously ignoring Parliament and exacting without the consent of the people the tax of ship money—no King, governor or ministry of Jany British country may pledge the financial resources of his country and subject his people to an increase of taxation without first obtaining the consent of Parliament. That is one of the approved axioms of the British constitution.

If Sr J. Ward and bis Ministers are giving the promised ship themselves, then they are quite within their right, and are doing a most generous and perhaps a most timely thing. Oertainiyf a thing which merits SUr highest oommendalion. But if they have pledged their people to give the ship without first consulting the will of the people through their elected representatives then they have Utterly exceeded their rights and ignored their obligations to the people of New “Zealand, and have done that which is at once ungenerous, unjustifiable, and unconstitutional, No words of condemnation aie r too strong to be applied to such an unwarrantable interference with the [constitutional rights and liberties of the people and such an impertinent ignoring of the people and of the people’s duly elected representatives.” . . '