THE EMPIRE’S DEFENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2526, 12 June 1909, Page 6

THE EMPIRE’S DEFENCE.

SPEECH BY DOCTOR COLLINS

The largo number of gentlemen who attended tho banquet given by the lur.Lodge or Druids,, in Ills Mujesty’s Theatre, on 'Thursday evening had the privilege of listening to a brilliant and instructive speech made by Dr. Collins, who proposed the tpast of “Defence.” Dr. Collins, whose remarks were frequently cheered,. said that in proposing the toast lie was not froing to talk jingoism but would quote the words of the English statesman who had said, when speaking of the British Empire “What we have got we will hold consolidate, improve, and defend’. We will quarrel as little with foreign nations as- possible and thereby uphold, among foreign councils, the highest English ideals.” , Proceeding, the speaker said that the great question of defence had arisen throughout the world, owing to desire to extend colonisation, instance Germany’s, whose commercial prosperity demanded an o'utlet for her accumulated commercial products. A few vears .ago England was tlio only colonizing competitor, and! bv her power of colonization- bad absorbed one-ntth -of tho entire earth’s surface. Today the nation was called upon to defend the Empire—hence the importance of the question of defence to every unit of the Empire. The value of naval supremacy had been exemplified by the disruption of the Napoleonic, dynasty, .and again by the absorption of Corea by Japan. Germany’s geographical situation was the key to the nation, s desire for naval supremacy. Four-fifths of the German Empire’s frontier was surrounded by nations which might at any time became hostile. Germany therefore must dread a dual alliance opposed to her especially if one of the allied nations was a strong maritime Power, because in the event of Germany’s sea coast being invaded and her mercantile marine destroyed while her borders were invaded by a territorial army she -would rapidly become annihilated. The reasons of tho continued naval activity of Germany were the threatened grouping of foreign Powers into a triple alliance, the enforced, annexation of Bosnia Herzegovina, also her desire to prevent the recognition of any preferential tariff detrimental to her interests which might- result from a consolidation of the British Empire. The end of the German armament was not tending towards the- peace of the world, Tor Germany’s power bad already been used to break off diplomatic relationship, by the threat of the sword, with one European nation. Russia had recently been humiliated by German power, and England was being threatened, thus Germany might at any moment seek to involve the British Empire in a war which the people would be unprepared to meet. The gift of a Dreadnought by New Zealand had been a great moral inspiration which was , the off-spiing of a financial ecstasy. Morally it had taught tho world that the solidification of Empire and Imperialism had a living existence. Financially the gift was hardly justified. During the past quarter £19.000,000 had been- borrowed in England, of which amount £2,700,000 had gone to New Zealand . In return New Zealand had offered to give England £2,000,000 and if necessary £4,000,000 while the Dominion public debt was already £63,524,961 andi tho increase last year £2,928,963. The debt per head of population was £67 15s and vet, with such a debt New Zealand had offered a gift of £4,000,000 to a country whoso debt per head of population was only £l6. Tho question was did the moral effect of the gift counterbalance the financial error, and the expressed opinion of the people showed that it did. Therefore we bow to united opinion. Some years ago it was thought that Germany would be unable to build Dreadnoughts, but in 1910 Germany would have seven Dreadnoughts while England would have no more. From that time. Germany -would be able to keep pace with England in building ships of war. At the present- time Britain’s fighting fleet ivas 60 battle ships, 30 armoured cruisers, 82 smaller man-of-war, 8 scouting vessels, 20 torpedo boats, 143 torpedo destroyers, 37 submarines, and 87 ships of other classes. Germany lias only 32 battleships, .6 armoured cruisers, 47 torpedo destroyers, while the rest of her navy- was ini "like proportion. But the building programme of the two nations show eel i differently. Britain’s naval programme was 5 battleships, 8 armoured cruisers, 8 torpedo destroyers, and 11 torpedo boats. Germany’s naval programme was 8 battleships, 4 armoured cruisers, and 26 torpedo destroyers. The defence of England meant the defence, not only of thei Empire, hut of the life and property of its people. England’s population was 44,100,000; her annual exports £oli 077 167 in value, and the imports were valued at£645,807,942.,- The gross tonnage of the navy was 1/,611,091 tons, while the mercantile marine annually carried specie and bullion valued at £1,500,000,000. Upon that value the naval expenditure was only an insurance premium of 2.13 per cent., while Germany paid a premium of 11.4 pei cent to safeguard her commerce with her navy. The money spent upon the British Wy from 1890 to 1891 was £14,557,856, and m 1908 to 1909 £33,942,003. and the annual colonial appropriations were: India £103,400, Australia £200,000, New Zealand £40,000, Capo Colony. £50,000, Natal £35, 000 and Newfoundland £3000; a total of only £431,400. leaving over £33,000,000 to be found in Great Britain, lho strength of the British Army was / 98,-' 655 officers and men, the expenditure in 1908-1909 £30,837,024, an increase in ten years of £10,000,000 while the German Army only cost £29,000,6 iu a year to maintain', the proportionately "decreased cost being due to conscription. In all Britain’s Army and isavy necessitated an annual expenditure ol £64 779,027. The population ot Zealand was about one million vbo exported annually goods valued a £l9 783138 and imported goods valued at £17,302,861. The gross ton-nao-e of the mercantile marine vas IO'TOOI tons, and the estimated private wealth £304,654.000. The total amount annually spent in NevJ. Zealand on defence was ;only-.£2o9,34s,inclusive of £4O- - naval subsidy, yet the people were Sic to squander £1,999,757 in 1908 » totalisatror 'investments. Such a contrast swtfke for itself. He would say that the New Zealand volunteer system had failed —failed because the citizen* did not recognise the necessity of defence, because employers refused to allow their employees tune to train, and because the public .was apathetic- to military training. The New Zcalan volunteers had poor officers, as a result of the system of election by the men. which often allowed a man to be chosen an officer mo-re for his social position than for his military capacity, and such men were merely figure heads, am. poor fPnire-hends at that. The capitalist classes! showed too. much indifference to miHtarv, training, fully 90 per cent, of men had no stake in the, country and y | if > > -- ■-/ . % '- ' • 1 . •

could put on their liat and go to other lands, yot tho property holders showod no desire to encourage men to tram for defence purposes. Tho capitation grants were far too small, and little or no encouragement was given to officers to train for tlieir duties. Mr M‘Nab liad stated at Feilding that only 59UU had attended tho Easter manoeuvres, and the Inspector-General, on his tour of inspection, found only 7100 men out of tho 13.049 'reputed to bei existent. He ' (the speaker) thought that New Zealand needed a military system that would make it compulsory for- employers to allow volunteers to get away when wanted, and for the employer to pay tho men when on volunteer duty. Mr . M‘Nab had said that if 9000 young men ’were recruited annually, in three years New Zealand would have 27,000 in training. and in nine years 90,000 men ready to fight upon call. It had been said'that such a system would interfere with industry, but Germany’s system of conscription had not retarded that nation’s industrial progress. In conclusion, he would only repeat Lord Rosebery's message to the Empire, given at the. welcome to the delegates to tho Imperial .Press Conference: ‘ ‘ Pressure is being put on this little England to defend itself, its liberties and yours. Take this message also back. The Old Country is right at heart. There is no failing or weakness in her. Sho rejoices in renewing her youth in her giant Dominions beyond the seas. For her own salvation she must look to lierself, and, that failing, she.-looks to you.” . Dr Collins’ speech was loudly cheered and all present joined in singing “Rule Britannia.”