LOCAL AND IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 77, 30 March 1903, Page 3

LOCAL AND IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S VIEWS. PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. Rjceived29 5.30 p.m. Sydney, March 29. The Sunday Times p«blish<=s*the result of an interview with Sir Jos'-ph Ward. On the questions of local and Imperial defence, he considers it would he unwise either for Australia or New Zealand to undertake raising a local navy for local defence, as apirt from the expense, which would b.9 an intolerable burden, Australia and New Zealard have to be defended in their commerce all the way from here to London ; therefore Br'*- : sh and Australian defences are so much one problem i-hat they can scarcely be considered separately. It is unlikely that Australasia wsuld be seriously threatened unless the British power was broken, and in thit event our navy would not avail us for lor>g Th<i sen fight of the fu'ure would not He fought in Australian waters, h> the loial navy, for local dfifenre, wou'd no* have taken any appreciable Kbare in the defence of th=< Empire, nor would it be enritlfd to share in the of victory. It is, he considers, an incontestable proposition that for the Aivt'jalian Bquidron to be fully effective it must-, be tn:irely at the disposal of the British naval authorities. There was just a possibility that an independent navy might ba the btginning of a movement for separation from the M t^erland.

On the questions of naval defence and preferential tariff, bis views w->re entirely in line with those of Mr Seddon. They both feared there might be an anti Imperial under-current in lan agitation for a local navy, as ail apposition to preferential trade.