THE DREAD NOUGHT OFFER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2064, 31 March 1909, Page 6

THE DREAD NOUGHT OFFER.

>,- . - 3ir Joseph Ward’s light-hearted of.saddlei tile pfeOJi!e"ot this country cosi of, a, fcoiijild of Dreadtiglits is very likely extravagant and iln uncalled for by the reai facts 'the situation. What the real facts ay be"it is'impossible to say. All that' ‘known at present is that feirgaj the pnse of Commons and the Conserva(re pre&s liarp set to work on the Navy timates quite the most formidable vyv.scare of recent years Jias been got ider; way. Things may be as black As 'ey .are .painted, or they may not. *t it isYa ? thousand times better to me forward at the first call of danr with a prompt and over-generous :er of assistance than to lag behind sputing and wrangling as to what- is e least we can do, and cutting our inerosity down to the irreducible inimum. By offering to pav for a ■st-class battleship, or two if need

>-'\ve are simply telling Great Britain at .if there is a real naval crisis then e dominions over-sea are there behind t, ready and willing to help to right lings by every means in their power, je’. have to trust her to take our peers of assistance with an underjanding ,of the spirit in which we •akc them. If we cannot do that, and |e afraid that our generosity will be then advantage of to bleed, and jueeze us unnecessarily and without {ercy, it is cpiite’time that wc gave up busekeeping in the Imperial family. r e can do our share in good faith and ith . a willing, spirit, and leave our rismen in England to deal with this rtual blank cheque of ours as they e fit.—‘’“The Citizen.”