PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
C.O. 885/5 LONDON
Mode of payment.
Closing of
Accounts.
Local de- fence forces.
Vessels to be stationed in New Zen-
land waters.
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2. The share of these payments due from each Colony shall be paid annually in London by the Agents-General and the Crown Agents respectively to such account as the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty may direct.
3. The accounts of these vessels shall be closed each year on the 31st March, and the difference between expenditure and 91,0007. per annum for maintenance adjusted in subsequent annual payments, should the actual expenditure prove less than that sum.
ARTICLE XI.
Nothing in this Agreement shall affect the purely local naval defence forces which have been, or may be, established in the several Colonies for harbour and coast defence. Such local forces in each Colony to be paid for entirely by that Colony, and to be solely under its control.
ARTICLE XII.
In time of peace two ships, either of the normal Imperial squadron, or of these vessels, shall be stationed in New Zealand waters as their head-quarters. Should, however, such emergency arise as may, in the opinion of the Naval Commander-in-Chief, render it necessary to remove either or both of such ships, he shall inform the Governor of the reasons for such temporary removal.
SCHEDULE.
Limits of Australasian Station.
The Australian station is bounded-
N
W
S
E
on the north from the meridian of 95° east, by the parallel of the 10th degree of south latitude, to 130° east longitude, thence northward on that meridian to the parallel of 2° north latitude, and thence on that parallel to the meridian of 136° cast longitude, thence north to 12° north latitude, and along that parallel to 160° west longitude.
on the west by the meridian of 95° east longitude.
on the south by the Antarctic Circle.
on the east by the meridian of 160° of west longitude.
No. 66.
THE PROPOSALS FOR THE DEFENCE OF KING GEORGE'S SOUND. COLONIAL OFFICE MEMORANDUM AND APPENDICES.
THE importance to all the Australasian Colonies of protecting King George's Sound has attracted much attention for several years. This fine harbour and coaling station would, in time of war, if sufficiently defended, constitute a most valuable base of operations for British men-of-war; on the other hand, if it fell into the hands of an enemy, inasmuch as most of the ships sailing from the Suez Canal, and practically all those going by the Cape, pass comparatively near it, an enemy holding it might cut off British commerce. (See Rear-Admiral Tryon's letter to the Governor of Victoria of the 17th of June 1885, marked "A" in the Appendix.)
It has been generally conceded that it is out of the question that Western Australia, with a population of 32,000, should be expected to fortify and garrison this harbour in the manner which is necessary to secure the protection of the commerce of the other Colonies.
In a despatch dated the 12th of June 1885, addressed to the Governors of the Australasian Colonies by the Earl of Derby (printed and marked "B" in the Appendix), two schemes of defence were submitted, the larger one being based on the proposals made by Major-General Scratchley in 1881, the smaller on suggestions made by the Colonial Defence Committee, of which the Inspector-General of Fortifications is President, with a view to rapid improvisation; and Her Majesty's Government offered to provide the armament and submarine mines required for the latter scheme, provided the Colonies agreed to defray all other expenses (roughly estimated at 6,000/., oxclusive of barracks), and to maintain the necessary garrison.
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The Legislature of Western Australia concurred by resolution in this suggestion, and offered to contribute funds on the basis of population.
Western Australia.
The Premier of New South Wales (paper marked "C" in the Appendix) expressed New South an opinion that the subject was of equal importance to Imperial and Colonial interests, Wales. and that the works recommended for both King George's Sound and Thursday Island should be undertaken at the joint expense of the Imperial Government on the one hand and the Australian Colonies on the other (the latter in proportion to their population).
The Premier of- Queensland (paper marked 1)" in the Appendix) stated that the Queensland, Colonial Government were willing to establish and maintain the suggested scheme of defence on the basis of a contribution in proportion to the population of the several Colonies, but he added that, although the Queensland Government was not disposed to stipulate as a condition to its joining in the necessary measures for the defence of King George's Sound that the two places should be dealt with in the same manner, they thought that the other Colonies inight fairly be called upon to share with Queens- land the cost of establishing and maintaining a proper scheme of defence in Torres Straits.
The Premier of Tasmania (paper marked "E" in the Appendix) stated that the Tasmania. Tasmanian Government were unable to recommend that, under the existing circum- stances, the Colony should be burdened with a heavy disbursement for this purpose, and that they considered that the larger proportion of the estimated cost of the proposed defence works, and the attendant expenses, should be defrayed by the mother country.
The New Zealand Government (paper marked "F" in the Appendix) favoured the New Zeu- proposal that the defence of both King George's Sound and of Thursday Island should land. be jointly maintained by the Colonies.
Council.
The lotter addresed by the Premier of Victoria to the Premier of New Zealand (also Victoria. printed under" F") shows that Mr. Service, who recognised that the discussion of the subject by correspondence only was not likely to lead to a satisfactory conclusion, suggested that it should be referred to some authoritative body empowered to deal with matters of general concern to the several communities. This pointed to the Federal Federal Council of Australasia, at the first meeting of which, on the 2nd of Foruary 1880, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, and Fiji being the Colonies repre- sented, the following resolution was passed:-That this Council, considering that "the undefonded position of the important strategical points of King George's Sound and Torres Straits would be a source of great weakness in the general defence of "Australasia in time of war, and that the protection of the Sound and Princess Royal Harbour and Torres Straits is of vital importance for the general security of the Australasian Colonies, is of opinion that some united action should be taken by the Imperial Government and the various Colonies, with a view to their arriving at a "decision which will enable the question to be dealt with at the next session of the "Federal Council."
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It was also contemplated by the Secretary of State for the Colonies that the subject should be brought up again at a meeting, which it was contemplated to hold at Melbourne in March 1886, of some of the Governors and Premiers of the Australasian Colonies; this meeting, however, was not held, and at the subsequent limited conference in April, on board H.M.S. "Nelson at Sydney, the subject was not discussed.
On the 8th instant the Admiralty directed Rear-Admiral Tryon to obtain the existing and latest views of the Colonial Governments respectively with regard to the joint defence of King George's Sound and of the coaling station in Torres Straits, and to sond the information obtained by telegraph, so that if possible it would reach England by the end of the present month.
It should be added that the scheme embodied in the Earl of Derby's despatch of the 12th of June 1885 was designed under pressing circumstances and with a view to its being possible to carry it into effect expeditiously. The armaments proposed were, therefore, such as would fulfil the above conditions. It appears desirable that this provisional scheme should now be reconsidered in order that the defences to be con- structed should possess a more permanent value. With this object, it be desirable
may
not only to provide better mountings for the proposed guns, but to add two or three medium guns of now type in order to secure the advantages of long range and accuracy. While, therefore, the Imperial Government is prepared to redeem the promise contained in Lord Derby's despatch of the 12th June, 1885, it is for considera- tion whether it would not be wise for the Colonies whose interests are involved to X x 2