THE NAVAL CRISIS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 89, 11 May 1909, Page 2

THE NAVAL CRISIS.

JX)RD HURESFOIID'S ADVICE.

BURYING PARTY FEELING.

TAKING A NATIONAL VIEW

London, May, 9Lord Charles Bererford, speaking at the Liverpool Town Hall, after receiving the degree of Doctor of k«», »«<« the committee now sitting on the question of naval defence was as fair a committee an had ever been summoned before. If the members found things were not as they should lie '\vllich he had no doubt they would—there was no necessity for panic or recrimination. "Let lis return to the old liritiih style," said Lord Heresford. "W the whole thing on the table and look at it. See where we are wrong and calm'.V and quietly put it right without rccridiinatioii from parties' or individuals. Lord Charles Beresford, in a speech at the Southport Physical Training College, said he had great faith in Mr. Asquith s committee. There may be many points destined to become public and cause dissatisfaction, but let people bury party feeling; get together; and put things right. No party wanted to see. the 'oreigner here. He did not belong to the party in power, but he believed the Liberal party were taking a national view of naval affairs, and anything ne could do to help it he would do so to tlie best of his ability. "What happen-] ed," he added, "is that we deferred our liabilities-and obligations, and when an individual or a nation does' that he or it must get luonev somewhere to put himself or itself right."

THE DOMINION'S READINESS

TO HELP THE MOTHERLAND.

By Telegrfcpih.—Press Association. Wellington, Monday. The Premier, with Ward and a number of others went down to Kaikuuni on Saturday and opened a new wharf there. In the evening there was a social, at which the Premier was presented with a silver salver us a mark of appreciation for Jiis services to the country, especially in regard to his action over the Dreadnought. Sir Joseph Ward, replying, said the sentiments he had just lienrd would make public opinion t'till stronger in showing a readiness in the Dominions to help the Motherland to maintain her position and supremacy on which New Zealand depended for security.

NEW ZEALAND'S GIFT.

A SYMPOSIUM,

ADMIRAL CYPRIAN R. G. BRIDGE, ex-Commander-in-Chie£ Australian Station, 1895-08.

The offer of two great battleships to the Mother Country by New Zealand Is an occurrence of very great—indeed, of stupendous—importance. It is a declaration to all the world of the unity! of the British Empire. It conveys an unmistakable and most significant hint to domineering autocrats and sabrerattling cliques with military forces at their disposal that their menacing and provocative efforts will be withstood with all the energy possessed by a great body of freeborn citizens' of a liberal, progressive, and essentially peace-loving State.

The material value of New Zealand's offer is considerable. It amounts to 25 per cent, of tlie addition, direct and con* tingent, which the Home Government proposes to make to our fleet. If, as seems not at all improbable, New Zealand's fine example is followed in other outlying British dominions, the material value nrill be largely increased. The moral value is still more considerable It shows a sound estimate of the indispensabilitv to us of predominant seapower, It does more than this: it shows that an enlightened and demo cratic community can warmly cherish sentiments of true loyalty to a flag beneath which it was born and under the protection of whioh it has grown and prospered. It tells the marine Ministries of, aggressive States aiming at naval supremacy that they will have Jo utilise their building ships against, not the United Kingdom alone, byt against the whole British Empire. If anything would make them pause in their* work of provocation this is the thing that will.

Ju'w Zealand's action ought to remind peop]« at Hom e that the British Isles are but a part of the King's dominions. How great and powerful the other parts have become is not often perceived in England. The European • descended population of the Uritish Kmpirc is now littlu short of fifty-nine millions. Nearly five-iind-thirty years ago the population of the German Umpire was nbont five millions' greater than our totul 'white" population; it is now only alwut thie,, millions greater. That indicates that we have advanced in that respect the more rapidly. If ,we lake, as «%■ most certaiilv ought to take, all the Dominions and Commonwealths into account, we should find that the development of productiveness and also tlm advajice in intellectual culture has been enormously greater ! n t' ip British Umpire tlian in any country of Continental Europe. I was born before New Zealand became British territory. I ran remember the receipt m Ixmdoii Of tho report of the arrival in New Zealand of the fouuderi of the "Canterbury Settler ,cn !". 1 *" ls ' )rfn my lmppy fortune to Visit New Zealand repeatedly in later years, and .see with m,v own eves the populous and wealthy cities, the active commercial operations, the carefully, cultivated fields, the great manufacturing establishments, the nobly-housed and admirably-organised colleges and schools which in less thnn thu course of vJ'"fc , V " L ' English-speaking - N ™ Zcalanders have created in what was a wilderness. The same storv the Empire!' ° ther dist<lnt

IHcr and above it« so-called material development there has been in New Zealand development of another most importa,lt element in the greatness of ntatps. That element is men. There iiiust be in No w Zealand some quarter Of a million of the finest fighting men n the world-peace-loving, Jiku the rest of their fellow-eub|eets', but readv and determined to fight to the death if necessary, against any Mlieose rival vho may dare l„ attempt the overthrow of the British Kmpire. In the great war „t the beginning of > nineteentli century. seventeen millions oi people m Great Britain conducted n -successful contest with mighty -napoleon, who ruled directly over twenty-seven millions of subjects, and ndireetly over many millions more. We ,!« « »!' '!« X " v Zeall >nd, no Australia, f !'' C " t° 1,0l P Ca >"><la was m traced by the proximity of nn in- | Milled and naturally embittered Aincri(•i a-i.r!?" T! 10 < ' asc 1,118 ereitlr willing I V'l 0 "" now t0 be Perfectly ? io "P any challenge that Th iV."' 0 !"" 1 ! 1 "» tlol > may fling at us. I 1 < «"»nions are scattered at distant pomts throughout the nvo'.dranta"e" V "/,}'"*? ,minls I ?Uf il r ■ necessary for one l"it of tie Empire to come to the help of another would lie as nothing com whM 'a-lli Ul h (l " ratio " " f onn,li,,t Jo , . f;/. «' ho - the British p£to%, t ,:e k< "" ,, ' ,rn,swo,,,d *»«>»•;

IKHV THE OKI'Kl! WAS .RECEIVED.

LTEUTEX.4XT K.VOX'S OI'TSPOKE.V X ESS.

i ... '" nml «n, March 27. n.t. rln i ? R ' X - who has j»st "he ho ." S , V,,it l ° NeW \,,V r l K on behalf of the hit ') imltllp 1 ' Wns " onp epenkrre llcr i heM .vesterdav have «„i,|. "\v r<w, ved-was to «r if not to-morrow t^\\!° < ;av\^ftor' Sl !'H ,m,n " Wtl '" ° tiier to w »

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