THE VIRTUE IN NAVAL DEFENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3049, 20 November 1908, Page 4

THE VIRTUE IN NAVAL DEFENCE.

In his speech at the Melbourne mayoral banquet, recently, ViceAdmiral Poore laid it down that in defence policy "the best virtue was that which lay in the power to instantly assume the offensive if one's interests were attacked." The application of that particular virtue to Australian conditions ought to be evident enough, since Australia's interests are in such large proportion geographically remote. The Commonwealth's commerce is what it wants protected in far-off seas, and any policy based on the idea that that did not matter so long as the country itself was assured against invasion in force would be fatuously shortsighted, remarks the Sydney "Telegraph." At the same time the country would not be safe under this policy if it had to rely upon it, since the object being purely and locally defensive the effect would be to tie the navy to the coast and thus weaken the national force. Home defences are valuabe, but what would become of any people who could do no more than guard themselves against attack? Obviously it would practically be blockaded, but by itself instead of by an enemy. Our safeguard against that fate is the British navy, which can tackle the enemy wherever it is tactically necessary to do so, and might fight a battle in the North Sea, the issue of which would be of vital interest to inland Australia.