145

A.—s

increase the number of reservists in the Colony. I will go so far as to say that-we would assume double our present liability upon the same basis as that set forth in the existing agreement. With regard to the matter of dock provision. The Colony built a dock some years ago, at a cost of some 650,000 dollars, and it is regarded as one of the largest docks, if not the best, in British North America. With respect to coaling facilities for His Majesty's Navy, the Colony at the present time is expending a very considerable annual amount in developing the coal measures, which not only exist on the south-west coast of Newfoundland, but also in the interior of the island, and it is hoped that these deposits will be such as to warrant us in going much further than we have gone up to the present time, and at no distant date offer facilities for naval supplies. The coal is of excellent quality. We are also encouraging the development of the petroleum areas of the west coast. When I was in England *in 1905 the Admiralty communicated with me in respect to the petroleum areas of the west coast, and showed very great interest indeed in the possibilities of that country. Mr. Pretyman, who was at that time Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty, assured me that the matter was of special interest to his Department, and expressed a hope that the Government of the Colony would do what it could to aid in the development of those deposits. That we have done, and that we are still continuing, and I hope the efforts in this direction may yet result in being of material advantage to His Majesty's Navy. I have nothing further to add at present. Mr. F. R. MOOR : Lord Elgin and gentlemen, I have to thank Lord Tweedmouth for the clear way in which he has laid big problems before us this morning, and I have also to thank him on behalf of Natal for the sympathetic way in which he seems to have met both the Cape Colony and the Colony I represent in the direction we have been indicating to him at a conference that Dr. Smartt has already referred to. We feel that in South Africa individual Colonies, divided as they are at present, are not sufficiently strong to do all that they should be doing towards helping the British Navy, and as far as the Cape and Natal are concerned, having duly talked the matter over, we feel we might more adequately assist if we had some kind of union together with the advice and the assistance of the Imperial Government. Our idea is that being more or less in union with each other, we shall have better results, and will be able to have more scope for the movement we are trying to promote in these Colonies. For some years in Natal, and I believe also in Cape Colony—in fact I know it is so— we have had a movement there started, so far as Natal is concerned, by the late Mr. Harry Escombe, who was one of the best public men we ever had in the Colony, to promote a spirit of assistance towards the Imperial Government in regard to harbour matters and the building up of the Naval Reserve. He, my Lord, was the father of the corps that we now have in Durban, known as the Naval Reserve Corps. This corps has done admirably, is very enthusiastic, has been in the field on several occasions, and took a most prominent part in the late outbreak that we had there—the rebellion. But this corps is more or less dying of inanition, because it feels that it is not having recognition as regards its value or its services in a direction that it is essentially organised for, that is, with regard to its naval training. We cannot give that naval training or promote any further that spirit of assistance unless we have the assistance of the Admiralty. And, as already indicated by Dr. Smartt, it did occur to us that if the Admiralty could help us with a ship we mifrht be able.to utilise the services of these men with the ship, as between different ports on our coast, and give these men training which is so essential not only for their use, but in keeping alive the movement. Tt

20 A. 5.

Fifth Day. 23 April 1907.

Naval Defence. (Sir Robert Bond.)