PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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Reference :-
C.O. 885
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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Enclosure No. 3 in Australian Letter of May 30, 1886.
MEMORANDUM for His Excellency the GOVERNOR.
THE Premier transmits to your Excellency a memorandum of the Cabinet on the proposal of his Excellency Rear-Admiral Tryon, contained in a circular letter dated 24th December last, and addressed to the Governors of Australasian Colonies on the naval defence of Australasia and Australasian waters.
2. It will be remembered that your Excellency had intended to have arranged for a meeting of the Governors and Premiers of the various Colonies, together with Admiral Tryon, to consider these proposals, but from various circumstances the meeting could not then be held. Admiral Tryon having since forwarded these proposals for considera- tion, together with a number of other memoranda and communications, all bearing on the same subject, it has been thought desirable to state to your Excellency, for the information of the Admiral, the views of your Excellency's Government on the subject.
3. In Mr. Gillies' memorandum of the 8th ultimo it was pointed out that this Government were quite willing to hear and favourably consider any reasonable "proposal which embraced within its objects federal action on the part of Australasia "on the question of defence," and in dealing with these proposals that object has been carefully kept in view.
4. To secure united action on the part of the Colonics, Mr. Gillies believes that this Colony would-provided that the proposals appeared fair-assent to a large expenditure for naval defence purposes, even in addition to the very large outlay which the Colony already incurs for its own defence. But the proposal that any increase to the present insufficient naval squadron should be solely at the cost of the Colonies appears to Mr. Gillies to be quite unreasonable and it is certainly one that has never before been put forward.
5. The Sydney Conference of 1881 affirmed a resolution to the effect that— "Considering the large Imperial interests involved the naval defence of these Colonies "should continue to be the exclusive charge of the Imperial Government, and that "the strength of the Australian squadron should be increased; that the members of "this Conference pledge themselves to use all legitimate endeavours to procure the "efficient fortification and land defence of the several parts of the Australian Colonies "at the cost of the several Colonies interested."
;
The Secretary of State, when commenting on this resolution, stated that he was "unable to express satisfaction at the suggestion that the outlay for naval defence "for the Australian Colonies should be increased, and at the same time that it should "continue to be exclusively a charge upon the Imperial Treasury but while thus expressing himself it was never even hinted by him, and evidently never contemplated, that the expense in question should "be exclusively a charge upon the Colonies." This proposition is exactly the converse of that to which the Secretary of State took exception, and the one proposition is as extreme from a Colonial standpoint as the converse is from an Imperial point of view.
6. Mr. Gillies cannot entertain the idea that the Imperial Government will refuse to recognise its responsibility to share in the cost of providing the proposed substantial addition to the naval defences of Australasia. The proposals in the accompanying memorandum, to which the Cabinet has assented, do not fall under the objections taken either by the Secretary of State to the resolution of 1881, or by Mr. Gillies to the proposals recently submitted on behalf of the Admiralty.
Premier's Office,
Melbourne, May 25, 1886.
Enclosure No. 4 in Australian Letter of 30th May 1886.
D. GILLIES.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Brisbane,
May 3, 1886. WITH reference to his Excellency Sir Anthony Musgrave's minute of 20th February 1886, transmitting for the information and consideration of Ministers a circular despatch from Admiral Tryon, dated 24th December 1885, on the subject of a scheme of naval defence for the Australasian Colonies. Mr. Griffith has now the honour to state for your Excellency's information the opinion of this Government on the subject.
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2. It having for various reasons been proved to be impracticable to bring about the meeting of Governors and Premiers of the several Colonies for the purpose of discussing the matter with the Admiral, as proposed by the Secretary of State, Mr. Griffith, at Admiral Tryon's invitation, proceeded to Sydney, where he met Sir P. A. Jennings and Mr. Gillies, the leaders of the Governments of New South Wales and Victoria, with whom and the Admiral the matter was fully discussed in meetings held on board the "Nelson ""
on the 26th and 27th of April.
3. The Admiralty proposal, made through the Admiral, may be shortly stated as follows:-
(a.) That the purely local naval defence force which has already been created in several Colonies should remain substantially on the footing on which it is already established.
(b.) That any sea-going vessels that may be provided, equipped, and maintained at the cost of the Colonies, should be manned by the Admiralty, and be placed in every respect on the same footing as are Her Majesty's vessels at present belonging to the station, including a periodical change of officers and men.
(c.) That the vessels provided at the cost of the Colonies should be retained within
the limits of the Australasian seas.
(d.) That no reduction of the forces now on the station should take place consequent
on the addition of any force made at the cost of the Colonies.
(e.) That the entire cost of any additional vessels should be borne by the Colonies. (f) That an increased number of cadetships should be given to the Colonies. (g.) That during time of peace these vessels should be employed in the same way as
other vessels of war on the station.
(.) That any arrangement made should be for a period of 10 years.
(.) That the several Colonies should still continue to arrange for local defence, and that any sea-going vessels of war added to the squadron on the station should not be subject to any divided responsibility as to their movements within Australasian waters, but should form part of the squadron, and be entirely under the control of the Admiral Commanding-in-Chief.
(j) That the additional ships to be provided should be five cruisers of the "Archer
class, and two fast sea-going torpedo vessels.
4. From the corrected data supplied by Admiral Tryon at the meeting, it appears that the first cost of each cruiser of the “ Archer" class would be 106,4861., and of each torpedo vessel 46,729/.; while the entire annual expenses of each of the former would be 25,4561., and of the latter 11,0297.
The total cost of providing such a fleet as that proposed by the Admiral would there. fore be---
For.five cruisers
For two torpedo vessels
and the annual expenses of maintenance would be- For five cruisers
For two torpedo vessels
£
532,430 93,458
625,888
127,280
22,058
149,338
to which must be added the sum of 3,3001. mentioned in the 7th paragraph of the Admiral's Despatch for the cost of exchange of crews.
5. Upon full consideration, Ministers are of opinion that it is not desirable that any ships to be provided under the proposed scheme should be the joint property of the Colonies; and they think that it would be highly inconvenient that the several Colonies should be called upon to raise by way of loan sums for the purchase of vessels which would be the property of Her Majesty's Imperial Government. They think, therefore, that the ships should be provided and equipped by the Imperial Government.
They are, however, of opinion that the Colonies may fairly be called upon to pay annually a sum, at a rate to be agreed upon, to represent the ordinary depreciation of the vessels. Ministers are also of opinion that the whole annual cost of maintenance should be borne by the Colonies.
A 51431.
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