The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1912

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3419, 10 January 1912, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1912

The people of Canada are now very

Should There Be Local Navies?

mucn concerned as to whether they should proceed with the estn Klifclimonr o enn.

I t/AAoIllilv: II L Ui a arate navy. It will be recalld that at the Imperial Defence Conference in 1909 Sir Wilfred Laurier declined to take the course adopted by Australia, which decided to create a local fleet, which in war time would be a part of the Royal Navy. Nor was lie favorable to the course supported by New Zealand, which offered a generous contribution to the Imperial Exchequer for the policing of the trade routes. Instead, Sir Wilfred Laurier, on behalf of Canada, decided to create a local navy, the men of which, should be trained in Canada, and the ships of which should be built in- Canada. It was proposed to build four cruisers of limited size and half a dozen torpedo fleet- The Canadian Government took over from the Imperial authorities without payment the dockyards at Halifax and Esquimauit, and opened negotiations for the creation of drydocks and shipbuilding plant at Leris, opposite Quebec, and at St. John, Mew Brunswick. Since this project was afunchcd the Canadian Government lave purchased two obsolete British :ruisers, the Niobe and Rainbow, for use is training vessels for lower-deck ratings, and have founded a college for the >d neat ion of naval cadets. It is, however, now recommended by Mr. Borden, he new Premier, that Six' Wilfred Lauier’s scheme should be overthrown. The iroposals of the late Canadian Governnent, he avers, called for an expendiure of ten million pounds, spread over , period of ton years. A fleet had been da lined which in his opinion would be iso!ess is a fighting force, and would e quite obsolete by the time it was ompletcd. He went even further the tlier day. for he declared that it would ot be wise to proceed with such a use?ss expenditure, and he. intimated that is Government would stop it. This -ould account for the receipt of a cable lessage the other day to the effect that i the meantime the new Government ould not introduce the Navy Bill until session, but- in the meantime would ndeavor to ascertain what were the mditions confronting the Empire, fitly this object in view consultations re now taking place between the anadian Government and the Admiralj. The question presses itself as to : hetlier Australia will find it advisable ► proceed with her ambitious local navy heme-