THE COLONIES AND TILE NAVY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 70, 19 April 1909, Page 2

THE COLONIES AND TILE NAVY.

Mr. Fisher. Federal Prime .Minister, has made the, position of his (lovernment ill regard to offering a Dreadnought to the Old Country perfectly clear. lie frankly states that if thc'people of the Commonwealth want the (lovernment to present a Dreadnought to Britain they will have to provide another (lovernment to do it. His idea i« that it would be far better for all concerned if t'liey spent (he money in si lengthening their own defences. Mr. Fisher speaks for hjs Party but not, we believe, for Australia, and the possibilities arc that when Parliament assembles he will be made conscious of the fuel, In the current issue of Life, the Australian magazine., the editor, Dr. Fitchett, deals with , ibe ijiiestion, and, as was to be expected from the author of "Deeds that Won tile Empire," trene'liautly criticises the 'peculiar part Ihv Australian Labor ] Cioveruincnt has played during the crisis, contrasting that part with the patriotism shown by Xelv Zealand, and pointing out the moral and significance

of the action of this country. It.is an aide nini luminous article, and one the reading of which must prove of profit to every loyal colonial. Dr. Fitchett wirtcs:— There an. some questions Oil whicii the crowd is wiser than the politicians. The native coininonseiise of the multitude—or even its in-stiiicl-reads some question-, with quicker vision, ami decides on flieni witii

surer judgment, than do the political exprrls. So long ;is the i.Mic lies within ,ihat may be called flic party horizon. /:nl has to be debated from Hie party standpoint, the politicians can speak with amplest authority. Hut when some question emerges which is greater than all partv issues, and underlies them all. then I In', politicians me apt to find their formulae too narrow. And this is exaetIv what lias happened in the naval coa-U'yver-v which has arisen with the suddenness' of a simoom, and swept with the fury of a tiiijjoiiiii, over both Australia ami New Zealand, It l 5 i| <|i|-(. instinct

thai warns the people that the ,i.i| supremacy of the Empire is for boll) Australia and New Zealand, a question of life nini death. Xew Zealand has acccplei| line reading of the issue at stake, anil lias promptly volunteered the gift of a '• Dreadnought " to the motherland. The Australian (Viiiimonwealth—or, rather. Ibe Labour Cabiucl, which for the moment, and almost b v accident, is in charge of Federal affairs --bluntly rejects the proposal lo imitate Xew Zealand ; and Sir Joseph Ward and Mr I'lsher represent (wo conflicting interpretations of the relation of these Slates to Ifjc Motherland, and the ilulv they owe f„ «..< Umpire,

The Xew Zealand ull'cr Iris statesmanship behind it ; for it !.s„n acknowledgement of the fact that its fate il s very existence as a free and self-gini'l'.niiig community is wrapped up in (he q'ueslion of the command of Hie sea bv the IVHi-ii Heet. If Ihal command were lost. ; iind &'.-»■ Zealand bad to carry Ibe Imr- ( den. as \, ej) as enjoy the freedom, of a sclf-Coveniing sijilc, what an enormous price il would bate lo pay for its own defence ! Almost certainty, lon, no price it could pay would be sufficient. It I would almost inevitably become a dependenev under the ling of some aggressive Power in- Europe, or .-a the East. So on grounds of enlightened sell-intcresl New /calami mal«s its offer of .-, " Dread-1 nought :" .mil that offer represents a gift. I ca„t into Hie scales cmi..(|v where il will | tell most effectively. Anv of the great! Powers of the tviirld—lleruuiitv »nv, or. Japan-might well siudu at the pun-iia»ej of two or f.liree destroyers, or of a ; second-class erui.er, bv Xew Zealand, lint Ihe appearance of .. N'cv Zealand' ■■ Dreadnought" in Ibe IV.vi i» exactly I 1 like the appearance of the XVw Zealand end Austialian contingtMils in the South! African war—a reiuiiiuor lo the world of Hie existence of Ureal Ifrltaln. [

it is a proof'thai in the balnnc-sheet of Empire these States are not liabilities; thev are assets. They are forces to be \i reckoned with in the case of war. Thew

of the British stock in tlio United King<lom ; there are 13,0u0.'.110 ot tile same stock stuttered lliroiigli Canada, Hie Cape, Australia, .New Zealand, etc And the Xew Zealand "Di...t«/ioiignl," we reliout, is a hint that the 10,000,0U0 of the liritish race outside the United Kingdom share all risks with the 43,000,000 of tke same race within the United Kingdom. It may be' added that a certain uneasy self-respect lies as one of the forces oehind the New Zealand oiler. According to the latest figures, the cost of the liritish navy represents a tax of los (id per head on every man, woman, and baby in the United Kingdom. The contribution] per head by the colonies is exactly six-1 pence. Now the average colonial derives' quite in much benefit I "'in the navy iiSj the average Briton, and he does not feel I comfortable when lie reflects that he only pays sixpence for what costs his Brtish kinsman liis lid. -Mr Fisher's refusal to oiler it "Drcad--1 nought" is courageous, lor H is visibly in conflict with gencoi public opinion ; and courage is always a virtue to be respected in a politician. Nobody, again, need doubt the patriotism of 11 r. Fisher and bis colleagues, nor the entire honesty of their jndjjinrat, J!ut what is the in-i tcrprcUtion of the duty of Australia, as far as the defence of t"ie Kinpire is concerned, which is represented by llrj Fisher's refusal to follow the example of New Zealand 1 'The existence of a crisis in the naval policy of the Kinpire is admitted, llr Fisbe'r recognises that Australia must make stun? contribution to the safety of the Kn.p.e.'. r.iil lie says the best contribution lie can make is to provide a little more adequately for its own defence ! It must buy two"or three more destroyers, and even commission n cruiser or two of its own. This cannot be described as a very lofty reading of Australian duty. It wears un unpleasant aspect of selfishness. It suggests ths story of the gentleman who celebrated his wife's birthday by presenting himself with n new hat; or the companion story of the -on who, when he learned that his mother was overtaken by sudden poverty, consoled her by going to his ".anor and ordering for himself a new coat. ,

But the selfishness of Mr Fisher's policy can hardly be described as very intelligent, if (ircal Britain keeps the command of the sea, our local defences are unnecessary ; if sue loses tile command of the sea, they are worthless. Mr Fisher, ill brief, resembles a passenger on a hoard a ship on which a leak is suddenly reported, lie refuses to give a hand ill the pumps and help to keep t.ie whole siiip afloat, its bis contribution to the safety of the vessel lie will put a new lock on' the door of his own cabin, and go to sleep behind the locked door. But what will the lock on the cabin door be worth if the ship does not lloat ! The New Zealand ••Dreadnought" will powerfully affect, the imagination of the whole world. It will prove that the provinces of the Empire are centres 'f energy. But Mr Fisher's reading of the problem will convey to the. outside world the sense that Australia cares very much, if not very wisely, for itself, but cares very little for the general interests of the Empire And that is a complete misrepresentation of Australian sentiment.

In this reading of the situation Mr Fisher has the Labour Party—or, rather, the lenders of the Labour Party—behind him, but not, we believe, its rank and file. They are patriots first, when any great question on the safety of the Empire fmerges, and partisans afterwards. But .Mr Fisher certainly has the general 1 volume of public opinion against him throughout Australia. The great meettings held prove this. Tile tone of nearly all the newspapers proves this. And the States—or some of them—seem ikclv to seize the opportunity of making themselves—in default of the Common-wealth-llie interpreters of Australian sentiment. Victoria'suggests that the Stabs should offer a '-Dreadnought, contributing to its cost on a.per capita basis. Mr Wade the New South Vt ales Premier, is ill favoui of an increase in the naval subsidy—a very poor and mipicturesque substitute for an Australian •'• Dreadnought " ! But some contribution is necessary, if onlv to restore Aus- | traliaa self-respect. It offends that selfrespect that the Dominion-should outbid the Commonwealth in patriotic duty.