IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2576, 10 August 1909, Page 5

IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

'■ T yCABLE NEWS“^

•' CONFERENCE ADJOURNS. l TO RECEIVE NAVAL EXPERTS’ REPORT. United Punas Association —Copyright LONDON, August 8. After discussing tho naval memorandum, the .conference adjourned until Wednesday to enable a committee of experts to prepare a' , report. THE CRUISEfTcONTROVERSY. j SHOULD THE: DOMINIONS. INVEST ■ IN DREADNOUGHTSF j • Two. of-the points emphasised by i Admiral Lord Charles Beresford in hi® recent speech to the Press Conference were the need of a strategical bureau ] at the Admiralty and the vulnerability of trade routes. As to the former. point, the opponents of the First Seas Lord, Admiral John Fisher, complain.. That he lias made the Admiralty a ono- . man and they urge thej establishment of an Admiral Staff (the? German “Admiral Stab”) equivalent to the General Staff of the Army. Admiral Feresford’s. views on the second, point, are made complete.if we graft on to his recent speech some portions of that wljich he made last.month. Therein hp referred to.,.the. cutting of trade Routes ajs[ the;-most .pressing danger froh).! thb oversea- Dominions.’, point of view; and ho plainly said that the investment by thq,- Dominions of two millions in-their own home defence, and in Cruisers, which would protest trade routes, would be a better investment than the' of a similar sum in Dreadnoughts, which would help to defend Britain’s shores. It was essential ’that these' fleets should ho controlled and-administered by the Dominions, but in time of war should join the Imperial fleet. In peace time, let the .Dominions’ cruisers join the, Mediterranean fleet, and vice versa. Australia had splendid men, but training was essential. Admiral Beresford continued: “Officers and men could be interchangeable, and that would be an efficient method of making an Imperial navy. Then, when any of the component parts of the Empire was attacked, the whole Empire would go as one groat service to its assistance.”

“The Times” also taxes the same line of argument. Commenting on Imperial defence, it suggests that, inasmuch as battleships must act in concentration, while cruisers must defend the Empire’s communications, the assistance of the Dominions, as far as it consists of ships, might take the form of cruisers. Cruisers, being the best standardised, and being thus interchangeable with those of the Motherland, would embody and express the organic unity of an Imperial fleet much more effectively than battleships could, from the functions they are expected to perform.