THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1927. THE NAVY AND THE EMPIRE.

Wairarapa Age, 28 February 1927, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1927. THE NAVY AND THE EMPIRE.

The opportunity that will :Be given to-morrow evening; of hearing ai interesting and informative lecture on w Tho Navy and the Empire” is one that should not be missed. Commander Marsden, the lecturer of the evening, is officially accredited by the Navy League headquarters in London, and should be well worth hearing. He has a fine record of war service, and that his outlook is not narrowly professional is indicated in the fact that he has been selected as Conservative candidate to contest the Battersea seat at the next general election in Great Britain with the Communist M.P., Mr. Saklatvata, as his opponent. On his record, Commander Marsden appears to be one who is possessed at once of a rich fund of personal experience and exceptional gifts of expression. A Visit from a lecturer thus endowed is the more to be welcomed because there is a common, but unwise, tendency in these days to lose touch with ( naval policy and developments. Since the Washington Conference, active interest in the Navy undoubtedly has declined very considerably here and in other parts of the Empire. It is, however, a matter of common sqnse to recognise that the achievements of the Washington Conference, noteworthy as they were, represent only a first step along a path that has not yet been tried or explored. At the moment, for instance, the prospect of further progress being made in naval limitation as a result of President Coolidge’s recent overture is not particularly bright. Relief from the burden.of naval and other armaments is much to be desired, but we have to face facts as They stand. It is almost as true now as it ever was that tfce British Empire is dependent primarily for its security upon a strong Navy.

It is as true as ever, too, that the Navy is New Zealand’s first ami most vital line of defence. We owe it to ourselves, in these , circumstances, to take a keen and informed interest in the Navy and in naval '.policy. Our Prime Minister has intimated that he will propose in the near future that New Zealand should assume responsibility for a further share of the cosl of naval defence, and it is evidently inconsistent with national self-respect that the additional 'burden thus entailed should be refused. Conditions in which the Mother Country is paying a large part of the cost of the 'naval defence of New Zealand evidently cannot continue much longer. We are as a community so deeply interested in the maintenance of an effective Navy that there should 'be no question of neglecting such an exceptional opportunity as Commander Marsden’s visit will afford of acquiring up-to-date information on the subject.