The Daily Times. THE OLDEST MANAWATU JOURNAL ESTABLISHED 1875. TUESDAY, DEC. 30, 1884.

Manawatu Times, Volume X, Issue 1384, 30 December 1884, Page 2

The Daily Times. THE OLDEST MAN A WATU JOURNAL ESTABLISHED 1875. TUESDAY, DEC. 30, 1884.

We. have to acknowledge receipt of a pamphlet containing address on the defence of the colonj recently de« livered by Sir W. F. D. Jervois to the members of the New Zealand Institute. It is accompanied by lithographs showing charts of the various chief ports of New Zealand and their surroundings, and bristles with big guns, torpedo boats, and other devices foi slay ing men and "destroying property. The reputation of our Governor as a military engineer is quits sufficient to induce readers of the pamphlet to take his statements of trust so far as they relate to engineering matters ; and m any case it is out of the question for outsiders to argue as to whether a harbor should be defended m one particular manner or another. Eut they may fairly claim a right to express opinion as to whether an elaborate scheme of defence should be commenced m a country not half a century old and the inhabitants of which are Jew m number and hampered by taxation. To defend the principal ports alone Sir William estimates would require a capital sum of besides which would be the annual cost of main~ ten&nce. Now it is beyond a doubt that a scheme of defence, to be worth Mocking At All, must be cam- j

plete, and therefore the fall amount mentioned would undoubtedly be re" quired, while it ia a well known faot that expenditure m this direction increases with tremendous rapidity once it is commenced, and we live m anage when science is continually devising rresh and more perfect implements of warfare. We sincerely trust that our representatives will pause to well consider the matter before they authorise any expendi- ' ure m the direction indicated m air William's address. We can well understand the influence that •will be brought to bear m connection with this matter, for it has a Governor for its advocate, and a Governor who is a specialist iv the art of fortification. As we have mentioned, any scheme of defence must be complete to be of use at all. N/ew Zealand is too far away from the mother country to rely upon any assistance from there, es« peeially as when it was required Great Britain would necessarily be engaged m its own defence. New Zealand, then, if we accept the position as stated by the Governor, must be fully capable of defending itself, and, if it were so, then it becomes a question why it should not separate from tha mother country altogether. The day when this shall come to pass is, however, far distant, and we trust the time is also far m the future when the colonists of New Zealand shall begin to play at being soldiers, It is an expensive game to play and even ia time of peace costs England £26,420,000 J \.er annum. The £400,000 eatimated by the Governor would prove but the beginning of an enormous outs lay, and even the sum mentioned is far too great for a colony to expend which is already deeply in* debted and requires millions more to enable it to open up its lands and develop its resources. New Zealand can only afford to spend money on reproductive works for many years to come; it cannot afford to find occupation for non-producers,lbr f nr-: nish funds for erecting monument! of the engineering skill of its Governor.