DEFENDING THE EMPIRE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 260, 13 March 1911, Page 5

DEFENDING THE EMPIRE

IMPORTANT PRONOUNCEMENT BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. AN EMPIRE PARLIAMENT OF • j DEFENCE. A PLEA FOR CLOSER UNITY. By Cable —Press Association—Copyright. Received 12, 5.5 p.m. Sydney, March 11. Sir Joseph Ward was banquetted by the New Zealand Association. In reply to a toast, he made an important defence pronouncement. He said he has been impressed with the necessity for some great practical change in the system under which the British Empire is governed and counselled in the all-im-portant question of Empire Defences. Personally, he would place the question of Empire defence as the most important question to be dealt with at the Conference. It is a subject which vitally concern* every portion of the Empire, and amongst others certainly the young nations such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. During the past twenty years there have been striking and remarkable developments in connection wit,h defence matters. The question for consideration is whether tie time has not arrived for consideration of an altered Imperial pol icy, so as to ensure the permanent maintenance of the two-Power standard, which, in view of the vast interests to be protected is absolutely necessary. Great Britain, by calling the fleets nearer home, leaves the overseas Dominions to some extent exposed. Canada, [Australia, and New Zealand, under our respective internal policies, are doing our part in the matter of providing a system of national land defences, but the fait is apparent at the present that at no time hitherto in the history of the world have annaments increased so rapidly. ,At present there are upwards of thirteen millions of the white British race in occupation of oversea territories. Those are as loyal and as anxious to maintain the ascendant Imperial position as ever in the Empire's history, but there the duty lies—before statesmen of the Motherland and the overseas Dominions—to join closer hands if the Empire is to be maintained invincible and intact. Any system that is introduced must have wide and definite provisions to admit local autonomy of each, thus ensurnig that the work of each respective portion of the Empire will be carried out according to the wishes of the people. Consequently an Imperial Council of Defence or an Empire Parliament of Defence would involve the creation of sufficient local land forces related to those portions of the Empire to repel attacks, as the particular portions may be exposed, of an invading enemy.

At present various portions of the Empire are proceeding with this policy, without agreement or pre-arrangement, but some broader naval system must be created by which the vast interests of all portions of the Empire will he established, and so enable Britain to free her navy for wider Imperial service. The navy must be largely increased. This can only be done by systematic localised co-operation of all portions of the Empire. The time may not be ripe, but the system to which we must ultimately move will be that of giving representation to the United Kingdom and Overseas Dominions, on a population basis, in the Imperial Parliament of Defence. It may be that such a system will require to be bi-cameral. If a second Chamber is necessary, it could he provided, and a House of Representatives elected on a population basis. Then declaration for peace or war could be left safely in the hands of such a Parliament. The British Empire consists of one-fifth of the surface of the Globe. If this enormous Empire is to remain intact and grow in population, strength, and invulnerability, it must be by means of closer unity. If no scheme of cohesion is adopted, the great evolution which has taken place within the Empire will mean a gradual severance of some of the important ties of Empire which the people are anxious to draw tighter. Under such a scheme there could be no question of the capability of the Empire for maintaining the two-Power standard. She could do so for all time. (Cheers.)