DEFENCE OF THE EMPIRE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 175, 28 August 1909, Page 2

DEFENCE OF THE EMPIRE

THE RECENT CONFERENCE. ,STATEMENT BY THE BRITISH PREMIER. STANDARDISATION OF MILITARY FORCES. "READILY PRACTICABLE IN TIME OF NEED." THE NAVAL PLANS. REMODELLING OF THE SQUADRONS NEW ZEALAND'S PART. By Cable—Press Association.—Copyright Received 27, 11.1 p.m. London, August 27. In the House of Commons, the Premier (Mr. H. H. Asquith), in reply to Mr. W. H. Long, made a statement r"garding the Defence Conference. His remarks were listened to with inte.iM interest. Mr, Asquith recalled the fact that th* Conference wu convened to discuss ti)e general question of naval and military defence, ,with special reference to the recent proposals of New Zealand, Australia and Canada, Its decisions, m far as delegates of the dominions were coicerned, were subject to the approval of the various Parliaments. The South African delegates did not consider themselves in a position to submit positlre proposals until the Union was all accomplished fact.

After the. main conference, a foreign and offensive military conference was held at the War Office and led to an agreement on the fundamental principles embodied in the papers prepared by the General Staff for the delegat;.*' consideration. The substance of these papers, which would be included among the papers published, was a recommend- : ation that while implying each dominion's complete coutrol over the military I forces raised within it, these force* should be standardised, the questions of formation of units, arrangement of transport, pattern of weapons, etc., be. ing as for as possible assimilated with those recently worked out for the British Army. Mr, Asquith, continuing, said th.it while the dominion troops in each case would be raised for the defence of the dominion concerned, it would be made readily practicable in case of need that the dominion mobilise and use the troops iu the defence of the Empire a* a whole, The military plans were entrusted to a sub-conference of experts from headquarters and the dominions, presided over by Sir W. Nicholson, acting for the first time as chief of the Imperial General Staff, with the duty of working out the detailed application of these principles. The creation early in 1901) of tho Imperial General BUS was thug brought into active working. It was the result of the conference in 1907. The sub-conference reached a complete agreement, their conclusions being flually approved by the main conference and'the Committee of Imperial Defence. The result is « plan of go organising the forces of the Crown, wherever they are, that while preserving each dominion's complete autonomy, should the ■ dominions desire to assist in the defence of the Empire in case of real emergency, their forces can lie readily combined into one homogeneous 'lmperial army. pealing with naval defence, Mr. Asquith snid the Admiralty's memorandum, which had been submitted to the dominions' representatives, formed the basis of preliminary conferences. The alternative methods which might he adopted by the dominion Govennentfl in co-operalion with the Imperial naval defence were discussed. New Zealand preferred to adhere to the present 'policy of contribution to the Niivv; Canada and Australia preferred to lay the foundation of their own fleets. It was recognised in building the fleets that a number of condition

should hp conformed to. The fleets "Hist lie of n certain size. In order to offer " permanent career to those engaged m the service, the personnel should be trained and disciplined under regulations similar to those of the Royal Navy, in order to allow of interchange and union between the British and dominion services, and, with the same Object, the standard of the vessels s imJ armaments should be uniform.

The remodelling 0 f the squadrons in tlie ]<ar Knst was considered on a basil of cs'tablialiing a p ac ifi c fleet, consisting of three unit#, in th e East Indies, Australia and the China *ieas, each comprising with some variations, one Indomitable, three cruisers ol the Bristol type, six destroyers of the Rever class and a number of the C. class of submarines'.

The generous offer, first of New Zetland and then of the Commonwealth, to iontribute to Imperial Defence, etch giving a battleship, was accepted, with the substitution of Indomitables for battleships, these two ahfps to be maintained one in China waters and one at ■the Australian station,

Separate meetings were held by the Admiralty, with the representatives of ('iinadu. Australia and New Zealand, and general statements were agreed upon in each case for further consideration by the respective Governments. Regarding Australia, the suggested arrangement is, with some temporary assistance from lmpi riul funds, lor the (.omonwealth to provide and maintain an Australian unit of the Pacific fleet. Now Zealand's contribution would be applied towards the maintenance of the China nniwhereof some of the smaller vessels would have New Zealand (as headquarters. New Zealand?* armoured cruiser would bo stationed la L'hiiia.

UXR'RLING OF FLAGS.

I.ondon, August 20< (•cuern! Sir George Higginson, in the presence of a large gathering at Marlow, unfurled llic Kni])irt> Hogs front tlie first oversea league tlagstalf erected in the Lnited Kingdom. They included the Commonwealth, West Australian) an<l Xcw Zealand (lima.