The Daily News. THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1913. A NEW ZEALAND NAVY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 279, 17 April 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1913. A NEW ZEALAND NAVY.

The Hon. James Allen, competent politician as he is, in many respects, is a good deal like Bradley's gander—he has big notions. Mr. Allen seems to have been persuaded by the admiring applause of his colleagues in the House, extending over many years, that he is a heavenbcrn financier and an instinctive genius in the matter of defence. So he wants a navy now to play with. But* as the New Zealand ratepayer would have to pay for this expensive toy, it is not at all sure that Mr. Allen will be allowed to acquire it. Incidentally, it is interesting to learn that the Admiralty does not look with a very favorable eye upon Mr. Allen's suggestion. The London correspondent of the Sydney Sun, writing under date March 7, says:

"The Admiralty is very much up in theory, but thank goodness it is ready to come down in practice. New Zealand's scheme for the creation of a local navy lias been fought with all the argument that the Lords of the Admiralty could command, but finding that they had not shifted the Hon. James Allen, Minister for Defence, from his original proposition, they at last capitulated and a second British nav-y will he. called into being in the South Pacific." '

But this is talking very early. Despite his constructive ability, Mr. Allen cannot build a navy off his own bat, and although New Zealand is prepared U bear her fair share in' the naval defence of the Pacific in particular and the Empire in general, we do not for one moment believe that the people of this country will sanction any scheme for the creation of a local unit in the Navy. We have neither the population, the navy nor the possibilities of expansion at the moment to justify even the beginning of such a comprehensive scheme. We might, of course, by dint of strict economy and severe self-denial accumulate a fleet of cockle boats of sufficient impressiveness in numbers on paper, or we might devote our energies to the building of a Dreadnought and a couple of cruisers, but of what earthly use would such a Jleei he in the case of a combination of foreign nations? It would simply be like crumpling up a tradesman's bill and saying, "Thank heaven, that's paid!" Proceeding, however, the Sun's correspondent says:— ''New Zealand is impressed with the tremendous potentialities of the world's greatest ocean, ringed with more new countries than any other body of watei in the world, and fraught with great possibilities for the good or ill of the whole of mankind, because in it must ,come the inevitable conflict between East and West. Looking far ahead. New Zealand has set herself to complete within her means a navy that will give expression to her local nationalism, and that will enable her to co-operate with the Commonwealth, and, together with the China Fleet, form a fighting unit of formidable strength." This, of course, is an ambition that we are not in a position to realise at the moment. We are not yet, in our opinion, so far advanced in wealth and development to attempt to fly alone. We shall be safer and happier 'under our Mother's wing in the meantime, though if we can add another feather to it from time to time it may make us more confident and more comfortable. There is a", old adage that tells of the wisdom of learning to walk before attempting to run, and, all circumstances considered, this appears to be peculiarly appropriate when the building of a New Zealand navy is concerned.