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THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1913. THE NAVAL POLICY.

A few days hack we had occasion to comment «pon ' the position occupied by the Australasian dominions in the matter of naval defence. We hazarded the opinion that it might be found advantageous for .New Zealand to join -with Australia in establishing a colonial fleet. This aspect of the defence question has excited some comment in the Motherland. In its issue of February 7th, the London Times says: "The Empire .should not rerit for ever upon naval establishments confined to the British Isles. It is obvious that much might be gained, from a purely strategic .standpoint. if ships could be built, equipped, and manned in several different centres of Imperial l naval strength. It is equally obvious that-such a line of development would call into play both the full resources and the full instinctive patriotism of the five self-governing peoples beneath the Hag. An individual development of naval strength in each Dominion Mould plant the naval spirit everywhere. But other factors cannot be overlooked. We have to realise that separate ''fleets will ultimately menu separate policies,, unless ivß take .steps to keep our policy one - ; and that even if policy is collectively inspired, separate fleets will commit us to an enormous sacrifice of efficiency ,and funds, unless they can he co-ordinated and trained together hi pence as well as war. These considerations, though not of immediate mo. ment, cannot be long .ignored; and there are others of an urgent and pressing kind. Chief of these is the fact that local develonment can only be extremely slow, while the progress of our naval competitors is extremely fast. For the moment our manning problem is an extremely .serious one. not from any difficulty in recruiting men, but from the time they take to train. Battleships can be built in two years. Seamen can only be trained in four, skilled rating*? in 'six or seven, officers in from seven to ten,

'it is already straining the Admiralty j severely to Keep its engagement with ■ Uhj Australian Government; and it | cajinou aii'urd any mora officers or mini 1 at the present moment for any ships I v\Jucii would not be immediately el- | l\>ctivo in the critical tJieativ at the i mitm-cak of war. These facts have naturally a close and important bearing upon the naval policy of tho Dominions. Two things arc clear, lu j the. first place, there can be no praci tieal -development of local fleets, un-ta-w provision is made for tho training I of officers and men in considerable adj vur.co of the construction of ships. In the second place, naval develop- | jnwit on those lines can add nothing to the effective strength of th? Empire for some years to come. It i-s ho doubt Vr'th a clear regard to these considerations that Mr Borden's naval proposals have taken their present form, if Canada desires to add immediately to tho fighting strength of the naval forces of the Empire, she can do so only in Mr Borden'« way. She cannot as yet build or man ships hersdf, and wo can only help her to do so 'by gradual do'irees. J u view of these conditions IMr Borden's is a prnct:<"ii as well *s patriotic plan. It offers three splendid ship?, to the Empire to m?et a pressing need, and offers tliem on terms which the Admiralty, with a dear eye to all its responsibilities, can whole-heartedily accent. The Admiralty policy is' dictated 'by necessity; there is"no room W choice. If the proposed Canadian/ ships were not to ibe made available iv» the jTwmnor which Mr Borden sujr;re..;ts. the Admiralty, with tho 'best will in tho world to further the alternative plan, might still he compelled at the prevsenfc juncture to keen its skilled and trained personnel for other available shins. It seems indeed that such a course may be dictated by the imperative requirements of Imperial security, which cannot be set aside in favour of. ar>v .scheme, however well conceived, that neglects the present in of more distant nims. White, Sir Wilfrid Lau)*kr's ■suggestions may well orobody tho principle- of future developments, it is'- jd'iFncult at the present time to regard it as a practical alternative, to Mr Border's if prompt 'action is what th* Canadian flfccjple desire. Mr 'Borden's proposals yriS add at once to the effective W'' strength of the Empiric' wiri LaWier's will J"T n ; Wa ' f , nd hand Mr v - at - 0n the othe -" ~'■-'»'••.. proposals—which, aiv cofinitijly put forward as an emergency policy—are in no way incompatible with future expansion or m'cdlncation on the lines which Sir Wilfrid Lanricr has sketched. Similar considerations apply to the policy which Colonel Allen is here to discuss. The Pacific is not at present a threatened sphere, and time may Well be taken, while Xew Zealand is working out her responsibilities as Colonel Allen suggests, to frame a Pacific policy on well-considered lines. That, as we hare often urged, is a subject for conference between all the Governments* concerned, and we trust that such'a conference,may .-he held in due course. The Xew Zealand, sets out to-day alone, hut «ho carries with her the promise of a s fleet, not yet in being, ] which some day will sail the- outer j seas as the Empire's naval patrol. I i ' """

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19130318.2.9

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 18 March 1913, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
889

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1913. THE NAVAL POLICY. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 18 March 1913, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1913. THE NAVAL POLICY. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 18 March 1913, Page 4

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