NAVAL DEFENCE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9413, 6 April 1909, Page 2

NAVAL DEFENCE.

SIR JOSEPH WARDS’ VIEWS

In hia speech of Friday, Sir Joseph Ward spoke as follows Those who I thought the arbitrament of war be- J tween the nations was going to be settled around the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, or Canada, were very much mistaken. If New Zealand was going to embark on any undertaking in the shape of a local navy, if they- were going to be foolish enough to go in for submarines and destroyers, without a fleet to attach them to, for which the country could not bear the expense, of what assistance would such a service be to the Old Land in a time of crisis if they were called upon to carry out the defence of a Dominion thousand of miles from their shores? If the Old Land by any chance was called upon to look to her defences, such a system of defence would be an absolutely' uncountable quantity. _The bourse to be followed was quite clear to those toho considered the position , ’ ■ impartially. The protection of the country-s interests must be looked to far away from our shores. The protection of onr sea-borne produce from New Zealand to the Old Country was the British Navy, and if they realised that as a people they had to look for protection in that<qnarter, then they must co-operate by means of Internal equipment and land forces to help at any time when the country should be threatened. In ’ these days a great battleship could be seven miles or farther out at sea and bombard Dunedin, Oamarn, or Timaru, could shell Christchurch from the sea, or Wellington, or even ■ Auckland, from well outside the harbour. Some pmple were urging - that they should co-operate with the ■ Australian Continent in baying an inadequate system of submarines and destroyers. With their own know- ,■ ledge of these things, they oonld not, bat see the childishness of such ff •' proposal, when they kept in view other important interests.