THE NAVY LEAGUE.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1904, Page 2

THE NAVY LEAGUE.

nelson-iSay dinner: * ■ references to new zealand. (From Our Own Correspondent.) / LONDON, 29th October. On Friday lost, the 21st inst.— " Nelson Day " — the Navy League gave a dinner in honour of Mr. H. F. Wyatt on the occasion of his return from a tour of the British possessions oversea. The dinner took place at the Trocadero Restaurant, Piccadilly Circus, and Mr. H. Seymour Trower presided. /Those present included : Mrs. W. Pember 'Reeves, who ocoupied a seat between the chairman and the guest of the ovening"; the Agent-General for New Zealand, Mr. George Beetham, and Captain Crutchley, R.N.R-. ■At the conclusion of the dinner, ' and after the usual loyal toasts had been duly honoured, the Agent-General for Natal (Sir Walter Peace) proposed the toast of " The Naval and Military Forces of the Empire." In doing so, he suggested that a" small duty should be levied at every British port on most imports — he would not say on raw material — received from other countries, and that all foreign ships should pay a" larger rate of duty than British ships. He was not inclined to trim his sails for those who talked about rnising the price of the food of the people. They forgot this country did not consist of paupers, nnd they should not trim their politics for the lower orders. The receipts from this duty should be earmarked for the upkeep of a navy for the whole Empire. That, he believed, would be much preferable to the practice pf asking the colonies to vote globular sums on'the Estimates. In replying for the Navy, Admiral Frsmantlo insisted that whatever was attempted in the vjay>of economy^ not one jot or tittle of the present e/psrid'iture on tho i?avy could fairly be cut off. In the matter of education* the Navy League had done and was doing a' great work, as was shown by the number of wreaths which had been forwarded to be a placed on the Nelson Column from brftn v c]ies in almost every part of the world... ' r Lieut.-General Sir James Hill-Johnes, in replying for " The Military Forces," remarked that the great war in the East showed what vast armies we.should have to meet in any future European war, and it was the duty of every one to do his best to get the- Government to keep up a proper-sized army, and to spare no money or its equipment. To the Agent-General for New Zealand was entrusted the principal toast of the evening, "The United Empire." Precisely what, was the size of the United Empire, Mr. Reeves admitted that he was unable to say, and he" doubted whether any one else could. But wTien it was last estimated he fancied it amounted to about one-fifth of the earth on the globe and most of the sea, except perhaps such as were swept by our gallant allies, the Japanese. (Laughter arid applause.) The toast was the greatest' the British race could drink, and he proposed it as representing the most distant part of the Empire, an ocean colony which by its nature and by the circumstances of its existence must be bound up with the power and effectiveness of the Britisli Navy. Referring to the work of the guest of the evening, Mr. Reeves said Mr. Wyatt had at great sacrifice of time, at great labour, and almost entirely at his own cost, gone round the world waving the banner and bringing in recruits almost from every place he bad visited. He had been to Canada, preached in Australia, and roused New Zealand. Another gentleman who was to respond to the toast was Mr. George Parkin, who addressed the people of NewZealand fifteen years ago. That gentleman had done as much as any man living to light the torch of Imperialism throughout the Empire, and he (tlie speaker) was proud to jiave had the honour, in a humble way, many years ago, to hand him a match for his illuminatjng work in New Zealand. That work had not beep in vain. It had borne fruit there. Those who had been to Trafalgar-square that day h.id possibly seen- a small tribute from the Antipodes — a wreath which had come in ice. That was not a symbol of any chilly or frozen feeling, but it came as expressive of the warm patriotism and enthusiasm of the people pf New Zealand. (Applause.) There was one link, one supreme link of Empire— and that was sentiment. (Hear, hear.) He remembered six. years ago an old schoolfellow, comrade, and friend, a native qf New Zealand, had been in London on Trafalgar Day. He had walked into the speaker's office, and had said : " Old fellow, I have never been here before, nnd I have been standing in front of the National Gallery looking down toward Whitehall. —And as I ?aw the lions and the column and the little man with

the cocked hat on the top, I exclaimed : ' By the Lord, I am proud to feel that I belong to this too.' " That precisely spoke for the sentiment which bound the' British Empire together. In the matter of the Navy they had to fight against two schools of extremists, one of which was the victim of a preposterous vision ; the other made most unreasonable demands. There were some who desired to call upon the colonies to bring into existence mimic fleets of their own, Mr. Reeves went on to Kay. That he regarded as a preposterous vision. At the other extreme there were men who demanded that the people of the colonies should contribute to the 'cost of the military and naval defence of the Empire precisely as if they were residents of the" United Kingdom. That was a most unreasonable an_ inexpedient demand. Between, those two extremes there was a wide course of usefulness for the Navy League, a reasonable course on which they all could unite. That was that the colonies should be induced to take an active interest in the Imperial Na>vy; should regard themselves as directly bound up in the maintenance of the efficiency of the Imperial Navy ; that their contributions, such as they were, should be welcomed ; that they should be encouraged gradually to contribute more as they could afford 1 it; that their contribution should not take the form of hard cash, but in the way of naval reserve should take the form of skill and valour, and that if at any time the expert officers of the Imperial Navy thought that the contribution was not given in the most useful way possible, then the colonists should be prepared as , reasonable men to discuss that point with the experts. Mr. H. F. Wyatt, who replied, thanked those who had assisted him in the colonies, especially mentioning Lord Ranfurly, Mr. Seddon, and Sir Joseph Ward, for what they had! done in New Zealand. He paid a high tribute to the work of Captain Crutchley as Secretary to the Navy League. At Home the Government of the day dare not increase or even maintain great Navy Estimates, said the speaker, unless they felt sure they had a mandate from the English people. In that lay a full justification for the | Navy League. It was its duty to fire the heart and soul of- the English people until they gave that mandate with no uncertain voice. In the great daughter States the same condition obtained, and there, again, the Navy League had to convince the people. He found everywhere a strong • Imperial sentiment, and he believed that before many months were passed New Zealand would give greater aid to the Mother Country, not necessarily in money, but in reserves, or in some other way. There was, he thought, no part of the wide dominions where .there existed a clearer apprehension of the true facts. (Cheers.) He would not say that everyone was as clear-sighted as was Mr. Reeves. That would not be possible. But in New Zealand there existed a strong disposition to aid in sustaining the great shield which protected all British peoples. He had in his mind a great meeting held in Wellington with the Governor in the chair, with Mr. Seddon moving the resolution approving the aims of the Navy League and calling for three cheers for that League at the close of the meeting. (Cheers.) Mr. G. R. Parkin also replied, and said it was an extraordinary thing that Australia, was not so enthusiastic as New Zealand. (Hear, hear.) The guests were then pledged, on the call of Sir Frederick Pollock, Mr. Dobson replying, and "The Health of the Chairman" was toasted with great cordiality. The guests then dispersed at the termination of what had been a very pleasant evening. 4