THE NAVY LEAGUE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2653, 8 November 1909, Page 4

THE NAVY LEAGUE.

VISIT OF THE "WELLINGTON N 1 SECRETARY.

On the invitation of the local branch of the Navy League Mr. Cecil W - Palmer, secretary of die Vei.ingtoa hianch is at present on a short visit to Gisborne. He has brought with him a number of most interesting lantern, slides referring to the navy generally and descriptive of life on board the men-o’-war. He will show them at a public meeting to be held m His Maesty’s Theatre on Wednesday evening. In the course of a chat with a “Times” representative on , Saturday morning, Mr. Palmer said that the League was making very rapid strides m the Dominion. He was unable to give any accurate idea of the total memberdun in New Zealand, but stated that in SuSedin, Christchurch, and Wellington there were 1500 adult members, while in the latter city alone there were over 1800 juvenile members of the League. Mr. Palmer explained that the object- of the promoters of the that people should realise that° it was no jingo movement lor naval aggression hut purely a defensive one What they wanted was to educate the public to the understanding of what the navy really meant to them, and to drive home the fact that) not only their future prosperity, but their very existence as a nation, depended entirely on the retention of naval suIjremacy. Mr. Palmer claims that the present situation as regards Germany has been largely attributable to the attitude of the' Little Navy party, which had led Germany to the impression that Britain was relaxing her efforts to maintain naval supremacy, and it might therefore be challenged with reasonable prospects of success. Touching on the subject of separate navies, Mr. Palmer contended that the “'pestilent heresy" of local defence had been exposed oyer and over again, and the League in New Zealand was striving to show the people of the Dominion that- their interests at sea were better protected by one powerful navy under one control than by separate smaller squadrons, each of which could easily be destroyed by any foreign Power. The League claimed' that the true defence of the Empire in the event of war would be a prompt and vigorous attack on the enemy wherever they might be, and that under separate systems of local defence this would not be practicable. “The League in Wellington,” continued Mr. Palmer, Vis well supported by all classes of people, of all religions, who realise the truth of the statement made by Captain Mahan, of the United States navy, ‘that- a strong British navy is the only safeguard for the peace of the world.' Germdny, with her two milUions of trained soldiers, would be all powerful on land, but it would not be conducive to the peace of the world if she were to obtain undisputed control of the ocean.” In conclusion. Mr. Palmer said that the naval officials who, at first, had looked askance at the League were now realising more fully the value of its educative work, and the authorities were leaving no stone unturned by encouraging juvenile visits to the warships, and in other ways, to assist in the work and objects of the League.