ON BRITAIN’S DEFENCES.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4445, 5 August 1909, Page 3

ON BRITAIN’S DEFENCES.

(To the Editor) Sir,— Much has been written and said of late respecting the British Empire’s defence forces, both as regards the army and navy, and there appears to be a consensus of opinion abroad that there M grave need for increased energy in Britain’s naval construction and that we here in New Zealand should be pre-, P a tG,d to do our fair share towards the iPjfctenanee of the integrity of the navy. We have also heard a j great deal said for, and against, our Government’s gift to the Old Country of a first-class battleship of the Dreadnought type. Now I am not going to voice the opinion that this was right or Wrong, but I will crave your indulgence while I give you my ideas with reference to this subject, and I regret to say that I am afraid the subject will suffer at my hands owing to the scope of my ability as a writer being somewhat limited, but there is one consideration that urges me on and encourages me that is my knowledge of the fact, that when any person desires to place his views before the public upon such an important question, he is certain to command the courtesy of your readers and I feel quite confident that I will be accorded that forbearance upon this occasion. There is not the slightest doubt that, if we allow other nations to go on spending large sums o f money upon naval construction without keeping up with them and a little ahead of them, we are going to court disaster and we must view with grave concern the rapid strides taken within the last few years in the building up of these foreign armaments. To every sound thinking man the impression must be that such a movement is fraught with the greatest and gravest possibilities and behoves us one and all to bestir ourselves and pay a little more attention I to our nation’s defences. The British nation is the dominent race under the sun and to maintain that high standard, which we have enjoyed so long, we must be prepared to pay for it, and it only remains for us to maintain that high position with the least cost, both to us *■ all, and each one individually. Germany V a PP tiars to be at' the present time the most energetic nation so far as the building up of foreign armaments is concerned. She is the nation that is going to give us trouble in the near future, if trouble is to come. It may be perhaps, news to a number of your readers to say that Germany has at the present time the finest army in the world, and if she is allowed to bring her navy to the same standard as obtains in the British Empire without our heeding it, then we are going to hear from her so soon as she obtains to that position. Germany is a very rich country teeming with a great population. Every available acre of her landed area is taken up under the small freehold tenure and farmed under the most scientific and modem methods. This is, I consider, where Germany’s strength lies, both from a defensive and a commercial point of view. When a nation is constituted upon such sound lines, that nation is going to advance and make its mark in the world sooner or later. Then again, we find that whilst Germany is the second last upon the list as a taxed nation, the British nation is the highest t »xed nation in the world, and for every pound paid by the British taxpayer 16s o}d has to be utilised in maintaining the army and navy; so seeing that Germany is |the lowest hut one, down upon the list as a taxed natiot), it would only be right to assume that the German navy does not take anything like the sum to keep up as what Britain’s navy does. Of course Germany has nothing like the Colonies to safeguard as what Great Britain has, but the fact remains and is •taring us in the face that the Germans »~e the possessors of the finest army in the world and at the present rate she is buildine up her navy, she will also have one of the strongest navies upon the high seas in a very short time to come. The Cost of the up-keep of the British Navy is very heavy indeed. I think your readers will say, when I tell them that o - ir proportion of the large sum necessary for this purpose only amounts to the sum of Is 9d per head of New Zealands population, that we are paying a most inadequate contribu'ion towards the means ot our security and safety. It is most essential that the British supremacy upon the high seas must be maintained at all costs, for if we are going to allow that supremacy to become impaired by the building up of Germany’s naval armaments we will soon find her forcing her hand and endeavouring to colonize, whereby she will be able to unburden her home land of the vast hordes of surplus population. Who can not say, when that time comes, in what direction she is going to extend her Empire, and in my opinion this is the object Germany has in view in building up such a strong navy. The Defence Conference, about to be held in England shortly, is of the greatest importance to every Britisher, and I have no doubt that that Conference will be the means of thoroughly overhauling the whole system of Britain’s defence. I venture to say that I consider that Conference will be the means of placing U 3 (here in New Zealand) upon a sounder bisis whereby our sense of security from invasion will be assured, There is going to be a great change in the constitution Of the whole of Britain’s defences, and it is going to be brought about as a reof this Conference. We, here in ■ rWiv Zealand, have been paying a large sum for our so-called defence system and if the occasion arrives in the near future for us to rise up and defend ourselves where would we be, we would be in a queer street ? We have not sufficient trained men to make a stand of any duration, and the result would be that we would have to shoulder arms and do the best we could under the most adverse circumstances, for what chance would we have against a trained army ? We hear a great deal about our Dominion debt of £66,000,000, and we have over 7,000,000 acres of unimproved land iu the North Island alone yet to be brought under cultivation, and I suppose about the same area in the South Island. I think this is where our Government has been at fault, the land is locked up, there is a great dearth of Unemployment obtaining at the present time, people are striving to get a piec9 of land and cannot manage it. Therefore, I say, pressure should be brought to bear lupon our Government and cause this land to be thrown open for selection ; get the people settled on the land, five them small holding upon the freeold tenure, and if necessary give them the means to make a start to cultivate their holdings, and when we have done this we have created a sound means of •fence. Who can say if the population of ibis country is increased say to 12,W0,000, chiefly composed of the fai£mig community, placed upon the| *3£nd under the freehold tenure,,

that those small farmers are going to allow their stake in the country to be wrested from them without a strerno m fight. If this were brought about I consider that, we would be conferring a greater benefit upon the Homeland than by presenting her with a Dreadnough'J My ideas of setting up something ap preaching a defensive policy would be then : To co-operate with Australia and maintain a small navy sufficient to protect our shores when trouble was hover* ing around the Old Country. It would also be necessary to have a compulsory scheme Of training for our land forces, something after the style of Mr McNab’s ' scheme would probably suffice. If this were carried out in a proper manner I contend that both ourselves and the Old Country would feel a greater sense of safety in times of emergency than that which obtains at the present time, and it would not cost any more than the amount we are likely to have to contribute to the British Navy after the Conference has finished their deliberations. Thanking you, Mr Editor, for allowing me so much valuable space.—l am, etc., W. R. Johnson.