The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MARCH ,23, 1909. AN IMPERIAL NAVY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2457, 23 March 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, MARCH ,23, 1909. AN IMPERIAL NAVY.

The action of Sir Joseph Ward and his Ministry in offering on behalf of New Zealand two battleships of the Dreadnought class to strengthen the Britisli fleet may not be absolutely justifiable in detail, but,it is, at .any rate, statesmanlike and represents that broad conception of national and Imperial duty which we would have our public representatives display. As we explained the other day when the Naval Estimates were first published, the position with the Mother Country is satisfactory at present, but there is no guarantee 'that it will remain so for a lengthy period. In-the past it has been laid down as a cardinal principle that England must have a fleet comprising ten per cent more fighting efficiency than the combined fleets of the two strongest Powers. Now it would seem that she is hard put to it to even maintain an actual supremacy over her one most powerful rival. Possibly tlie most unfortunate aspect of the affair is that Britain seems to have brought some of the trouble upon herself by initiating the Dreadnought class. So long as the smaller vessels were adhered to in the naval construction work of the different Powers,. Great Britain could claim a very substantial advantage over tlie strongest available combinations. The advent of the Dreadnought, however, has rendered most of the older types of ships to nil intents and purposes obsolete, and has given such Powers as Germany, the United States, and Japan the opportunity to commence a big shipbuilding programme on almost equal terms with Britain. The first-mention-ed nation has taken the fullest advantage of the new situation thus created, and at the end of 1907 mapped out a programme for a term of years which was, if not alarming, at least disconcerting to - Englishmen. The enormous sum of over £207,000,000 is to be spent on tlie German navy in less than ten years, and to keep a two-Power standard against opposition of this sort would be almost’ impossible.' Particularly is this the ease when it is remembered that the rate of construction officially notified by Germany for the first two years has already been greatly anticipated. The position is chiefly one of finance, and England cannot keep up the standard sought for unless she can afford to spend as much on battleships as any two of the foreign nations. Considering that in attempting this she is pitting her population of 44,000,000 against 60,00,000 Germans and nearly 100,000,000 in the United States, it will be seen that her task is virtually impossible of accomplishment. Of course we do not anticipate for a moment that the United States is going to join with Germany in an attempt to humiliate England, but the naval preparations in the Mother Country are supposed to guard against even such a contingency. Indeed it would really seem that Germany unaided may successfully defy British supremacy on the sea before many years have passed by. Not only has she a larger population thn Great Britain, but it is increasing faster. Her commerce is rapidly gaining bn that of England', and the admission of the British Government that the German shipyards! can now turn out Dreadnoughts as-fast as those in Britain destroys one of the last vestiges of hope for those who believed that at a pinch the Mother Country could, by a. special effort, leave her rivals hopelessly behind in the programmes of naval construction. Germany has frankly and openly laid herself out to build a navy ’that, will . enable her to. challenge: Britain’s proud, position;' on 'i*rihrl ihoro isu no doubt. as'. to

her earnestness and thoroughness over the matter. Tlie Naval Estimates that are now being discussed in the House,or Commons provide for an expenditure of £35,000,000 on the navy during the next twelve months. The figures are appalling, but it is just as certain that they will have to Ire increased to closo on £50,000,000 before long if the twoPower standard is to be maintained. The more the position is looked into tho .more obvious docs it become that Britain cannot for long remain in undisputed possession of the supremacy of the seas. At .least she cannot under exsiting conditions. Of course if the outer portions of the Empire take such action as New Zealand now offers to take the.position is vastly altered. The Empire as a whole can afford an expenditure which would make that of Germany seem comparatively small, and a recognition of this fact might prove tho most effective method of inducing Germany to reduce her shipbuilding programme. Once it was clearly shown ;hat she could never hope to wrest the supremacy of the sea from Britain, it is more than likely she would see the propriety of devoting some of the millions which now go for naval woi'k to the internal welfare of the country. It is from this aspect that, we chiefly favor the action of the New Zealand Government. Two Dreadnoughts would cost in the neighborhood of £4,000,000 and the ' interest on such a huge amount would add materially to the general taxation. At the same time it must not he overlooked that we are entirely dependent for our existence as a free community upon the protection of the British navy. Should the Germans or any other foreign combination succeed in defeating the English fleet, we should be at the mercy of the first cruiser that came along to shell our towns. But it is not merely the instinct of self-preser-ation that should actuate us in enduring some sacrifice to keep the flag of Old England unchallenged on the seas. The highest form of national sentiment is involved in our affection for the navy. We are all subjects of tlie greatest Empire known to history, and the foundation, of that greatness has been the glorious achievements of the navy, whose doughty deeds in the last two centuries have formed endless themes for the entertainment and edification of-Britons the world over. The unconquered navy is iwsoui'cc of pride and of constant inspiration to us, and we believe that every person in the Dominion will endorse the action of the Premier and his colleagues in taking steps to show the world that the navy of old is no longer merely an English fleet but a truly Imperial navy, having at its back the wealth and strength of every portion of the vast domain that is. ruled over by His Majesty King Edward VII.