152 



REVIEW OF REVIEWS. 



April 1, 19i:i 



started the Australian Navy, was a won- 

 derful demonstration of the unity of 

 the Empire before the world. The 

 acrimonious debates at Ottawa can 

 hardly have tended to strengthen that 

 impression. The Dominion itself has 

 been shown as coming so very obviously 

 first and the Empire second that the re- 

 sult has been to leave a feeling of dis- 

 ruption rather than of union. 



IMPERIAL SHIPS OR LOCAL NAVIES. 



It is obvious that the Admiralty vastly 

 prefers the contribution of ships to the 

 creation of separate navies by the 

 Dominions. But following the invari- 

 able custom of the Home Government, 

 the self-governing States are left en- 

 tirely to do what they think best. It 

 is clear, though, that the Lords of the 

 Admiralty do not regard the Australian 

 Fleet, for instance, as forming part of 

 the Navy under their control, whereas 

 they do treat the gift battle ships as 

 part and parcel of the British Fleet. 



Naturally, those who do contribute 

 towards strengthening the Imperial 

 Navy consider that they should have 

 some say in the way in which it is used. 

 Recognising this fully, the Home Gov- 

 ernment has offered the Dominions a 

 larger share in the executive direction in 

 matters of defence and in personal con- 

 sultation and co-operation with indivi- 

 dual British Ministers, whose duty it is 

 to frame policy at home. The 

 Dominions have the choice of being 

 represented on the Committee of Im- 

 perial Defence either by Ministers or by 

 defence specialists. While the C.I.D. 

 is advisory only, and the responsibility 

 of deciding policy remains as hitherto, 

 the sole prerogative of the British Cabi- 

 net, representation on it cannot fail to 

 give the Dominions a very considerable 

 influence in defence matters. \\'hen the 

 C.I.D. was started it was regarded by 

 far-sighted statesmen as the first step 

 towards the creation of an Imperial 

 Parliament. The present offer of 

 Dominion representation on the Com- 

 mittee is a further advance in that direc- 

 tion. Thus far therefore everything 

 points towards cementing the Empire. 

 It is when we come to examine the state 

 of affairs in each Dominion that the 

 disrupting element appears. 



CANADA. 



The gift of Dreadnoughts suggested 

 by the Borden Government has been 

 furiously opposed by what is really the 

 stronger party in Canada, one which if 

 it sheds its United States preferential 

 tariff proposals will be returned to 

 power at the next election. Sir Wilfrid 

 Laurier proposes that instead of giving 

 ships to swell the Imperial Navy, 

 Canada shall create her own, as Austra- 

 lia is doing. The reasons in favour of 

 this policy, as brought out in the de- 

 bates, were that such a fleet would be 

 purely Canadian, under the control of 

 the Canadian Government, and appar- 

 ently not available by the British Ad- 

 miralty in time of war save with the 

 special authorisation of Canada ; and, 

 second, that the ships should be built | 

 in Canada, not in Great Britain, for the 

 urgency of the danger which prompted 

 the gift of Dreadnoughts had passed, 

 and there was now time to arrange for 

 the necessary plant being laid down in 

 Canada. Australia, be it noted, was j 

 held up during the debates as a bright ' 

 and shining example for Canada to 

 copy. 



Now, if Canada must have her sepa- 

 rate fleet it is surely the height of folly 

 to try and build it m her own dock- 

 yards. There are 7,000,000 people in 

 the Dominion, and it would cost them 

 £1 a head to give the suggested Dread- 

 noughts, but would cost 30/- a head to 

 build them in Canada. Presumably the 

 expenditure authorised will be limited 

 to the ;^^7,ooo,ooo, and therefore if built 

 in Canada the people must be satisfied 

 with a far less powerful fleet than they 

 could get for the same money by build- 

 ing in Britain. The argument is ad- 

 vanced, of course, that if Canada is 

 going to spend money on a navy she 

 should benefit her own people by doing 

 the construction herself. That is to 

 say, in order to give employment to at 

 most a few thousand men, she must 

 content herself with a less powerful 

 fleet than she could otherwise obtain. 



No dominion shipyard could hope to 

 be as efficient and as fully equipped as 

 those at home. The building of battle- 

 ships is a most highly specialised work, 

 one which requires great experience. 



