TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1915. A JOINT NAVY.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 104, 5 January 1915, Page 4

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1915. A JOINT NAVY.

All extremely laborious effort is being made to convince the people of this Dominion that, it is to their interest, ad van cage and safety that they should consent to join in a schema for »av r al protection with Austiai;.;),; that We, as a people, should sink oi;r individa-. alty, and by deed oi! partnership signed, sealed an i ilojivi'i.'ed eonimit ourselves tor all :i...e to becoming a junior in the larger naval house of Australia. There has been no want of talk oa the question but there has been a distinct and notable lack of convincing evidence up to this stage of the proceedings. Most thinking Now Zealanders feel that they need to exercise more than ordinary care at this time because our view of naval affairs is somewhat distorted by recent happenings, Before we consent to become a fifth wheel in the Australian coach let us be sure that we have a truer and clearer perspective of what we are urged to view favourably than we at present can have. So long as the foremost leaders of those who would commit us to a joint navy do freely admit that there are, in the absence of political union, difficulties in the way of a satisfactory solution of the naval defence problem, it behoves us to be constantly vigilant lest we take a step towards involving ourselves in a political union that will stultify our movements of freedom and impeach our national independence. Until quieter and saner moments Ave must guard against our vision becoming befogged by passing events widen we are inclined to magnify and multiply until they become so portentiousiy great as to obscure the real, actual position. There are those among' us who are ever ready to hand over their reuopns''bililios to oihcs; whenever c,-..y are faced with a problem that is more than ordinarily pregnant with difficulty and diverse opinion they unload their responsibility at the first - seemingly reasonable opportunity. We are not sure that those, who would hand us over to Australia are not gravely in error. So far no argument for doing so has been put forward that is of anything like v convincing character, or such as would lead an opponent to have any doubt upon the question. In hasty desire to gain their end those who urge a joint navy have unintentionally belittled the effectiveness of the British 'Navy, while they have thrown into the highest possible limelight the possibilities of the miniature Australian fleet. They say that Australia, realising that Britain was unable to do more than hold the North Sea and the North Atlantic, instituted an independent naval policy of their own, and they claim that recent events have clearly vindicated the correctness of their views. We say that statements of this nature can only ■be made when we arc in such a state as to view things out of their normal proportions. Far be it from us to minimise any great effort to safeguard the nation and the individual by such a risk r"j life as the Australians have nn\" but it is utterly wrono- to •*■

that Britain could not have done more.effective work had the cost of this small navy been placed at her disposal. It is, indeed, doubt-

ful whether all the ships possessed south of the line could have stood against Germany's Pacific navy; anyway, it is to British warships we have had to look for its destruction. Even allowing that Australia's action has been vindicated it has ;o application a-j an argument in favour of New Zealand being lacked on to Australia* We are inclined to the opinion I iial ( I re.- i Britain can make a much more effective u.se ■f every naval unit we can afford to build in d,(f'M co of th? I-lui-pire, and as a corollary the defence of our own land, than Australia with its limited powers oconstruction . and organisation can. The fact that Australian vessels have-rendered good service to the Empire must not be erroneously construed into an. argument why New Zealand should, take any step, made in undue haste, that will eventually undermine her political entity and render her subservient to Australia. We must remember-that being the junior* partner, wo should be liable to be dragged into troubles that are not oui' own; that Australia is rushing on to a socialistic condition, in' which it has been proved by experience, there is an inclination to depart from those traditions of the British" people which are the secret of .their Empirebuilding success.- It is undoubtedly in Now Zealand's best interests to reciprocate in every possible way with Australia, but New Zealand must avoid the pitfalls that will plunge her into a political union that will for ever hamper, if not destroy her freedom of action.