Review of Reviews, 1/10/13 



.'55 



The Rev 



EDITED BY 



EVIEWS 



HENRY STEAD. 



OCTOBER, 1913. 



THE PROGRESS OF THE WORLD. 



OUR NAVY. 



The arrival of H.M.A.S. "Australia " 

 in Commonwealth waters marks an 

 epoch in our history, a parting of the 

 ways. It was as the flagship of the 

 Australian Navy that the Dreadnought- 

 cruiser steamed majestically up Sydney 

 Harbour. With her advent the Imperial 

 Government officially hands over naval 

 matters here to the Commonwealth, who 

 from henceforth must manfully bear 

 her share of the burden of Empire. 

 We are oroud to call the fleet our own, 

 to know that we ourselves have caused 

 it to be built, and we look forward to 

 the time when we shall be largely able 

 to man it with our own sons. The first 

 line of defence for Australia as for 

 Great Britain, is the Navy. Powerful 

 afloat, we need fear no foe, but once 

 lose command of the sea and the whole 

 of Australia's manhood in arms could 

 not hold the country. Our ships have 

 cost us much, and must inevitably cost 

 us more and more ; but, whilst there 

 may be critics of our growing military 

 expenditure, none can grudge our out- 

 lay on the Navy, which is really an in- 

 surance premium, and not a very heavy 

 one either, for national existence. 



PART OF A WHOLE. 



Whilst we may legitimately look 

 upon the " Australia " and the other 

 vessels of the fleet as our own, and 

 may be justifiably proud of having led 

 the other Dominions in naval defence, 

 we should never lose sight of the fact 

 that these ships are but a part of the 

 Imperial Navy, ready in case of war to 

 act as the Admiralty, the naval guar- 

 dian of the Empire, may direct. In 

 some quarters gratification has been ex^ 

 pressed that the fleet is so very much 

 our own that even in time of war it re- 

 mains entirely under our control, and 

 we can refuse to permit it to leave our 

 coasts, even if it were required by the 

 Imperial Fleet. This is, of course, true, 

 but may the time never come when an 

 Australian Government could give such 

 a refusal ! We ought not to look upon 

 our fleet as for our own defence only, 

 any more than Great Britain regards 

 the Imperial Fleet as built solely to 

 defend her own coasts. If ever the 

 destiny of Australia hangs in the scales 

 of war, which God grant it never may, 

 her fate will in all probability be decided 

 thousands of miles from our shores. 



