NEW ZEALAND NAVY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 253, 24 March 1914, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND NAVY.

MR. FISHER ON THE SITUATION. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Yesterday. Speaking at the banquet at Pongaroa on the naval question, the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher said we had less fighting power in the Dominion than we had in 1887. When we paid £40,000 a year we had fighting ships of a tonnage of 41,000 tons. Now, for an expenditure of a quarter of a million a year, we had 6300 ton 3 of out-of-date defence—three ships which were no carthlv use at all. If the British Government could not earnout its agreement New Zealand must assert its nationality and have at least up-to-date ships. There did not seem In be any good reason why England had not .supplied the country with an adequate protecting fleet. It was now. he said, generally admitted that no crisis occurred in 1909 to make our contribution of a batlcship specially necessarv. At the time some mention had been made of a dispatch from the British Government, 'but search had disclosed the fact that no such dispatches were in existence. It should be our policy to supply not only funds, but men and ships for Imperial defence.