COGITATIONS.

Te Aroha News, Volume XI, Issue 1713, 9 February 1895, Page 2

COGITATIONS.

“ He that calleth a thin® into his mind whether by impression or recordation", cogitated and considered ; and he that employed the faculty of his fancy also cogitateth.” —Lord Bacon.

Lord Roseberry has done much since he joined Mr Gladstone’s Ministry as Foreign Secretary to remove the reproach from the Liberal party, of being ... • careless of our Empire, England’s and impatient of the War Policy responsibilities attaching to it. In tho cases of Uganda and Egypt he defeated the scuttling policy of the Little E iglandp; ers, of whom Labouchere is the noisX* iest mouthpiece, in spite of the opposition of the rest of the Cabinet, and hisi? accession to the Premiership in placef of Harcourt marked the decisive de-1 feat of that small-souled set whose" influence under Mr Gladstone’s regime alienated a number, who would othe' wise have heartily supported his br

policy. The strengthening of tb is another proof- that tb'f Premier has no syinpati “cut and run” policy.’ however, M.P. for Stoke, a Mr Shepherd All&u, shows t is more than ship-building" to if we wish to make our navy ably bffluum C. TTOriismbutliaud port 1 alone; at. liome, possess suitable for tfierepair of large r .war; Gibraltar has none; Mali, or?three inadequately equipped . the-Government has not docks at

Capo or in the East Indies. Ave of the Mediterranean squadron disab. would have to go to Malta or Devo port forrepairs, and could get to eith* only by a miracle. In the Meditei lanean we may say the Frencl ha\ e docks in existence at Toulon, ii construction at Bi.serta (Tunis), anin contemplation in Corsica; and i glance at the map will show she \yi T have that sea blocked when these ar completed Sho. Vill, doubtless, ha\ a large arsenal in Madagascar befi long, and the goieral consensus opinion points t) as our en if we ever go to war. Two sligl accuracies in Mr AlWg criticif not impair its force, is at the Cape, about the si*. Calliope in Auckland, but no. by Government,.and there is a .. dock in Coi*k harbour, but it had tso long unused that when a vessel wa taken in there the other day the caisson jammed and she was got out only by cutting it, or some, such desperate manoeuvre. Mr Allen also points out that there is a lamentable dearth of engin&grs, engine - room artificers and stoken-s in the navy, 17 of the two formerifca itepd 86. eiigines.oVr-tbe. Revenge, and no reserves, as men of this class cannot be induced to join the navy. He truly attributes this criminal carelessness to the absence of the scientific element from the'’Admiralty, The French navy is managed by experts, ours by civilians, who control the small naval element on the Board, which again represents the fighting branch of the service exclusively, • too many of whom.ate not only ignorant Of mechanical science but despise it, as shown in the case of Sir G. Tryon and the loss of the Victoria. Mr Allen, wl il • his hand is in, will also see to the fortifying and stocking of our coal p> rt v and the supply of sufficient fightii g stores thereat. We are annually ti Id progress is being made with * the former, but the expense prevents its being done except by instalments. A six months’ war would cost us tens of millions for. every pound necessary for the purpose, and party interest in a surplus should no longer stand in the way of its being done at once. Neglect of insurance is more criminal in a nation than an individual in so far as a nation is the more Worthy item. As regards fighting stores, at the bombardment of Alexandria, our fleet ran out of shot and shells ; there were none of the proper size at Malta or Gibraltar, and had the French fleet interfered, as seemed at one time highly probable, it would have been a case for our fleet of a race for shelter under the guns of Malta, at least four days’ steam, with the th. i ling accompaniment, “Froggie take the hindmost.” We wish Mr Allen fll success in his sensible and patriotic efforts. i