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NAVAL CONTRIBUTION.

ALIEN IMMIGRATION.

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Mr Kingston.] No, not in the Bill; we have an existing power.

The Secretary of State.] I am afraid that would not do, because that would leave it absolutely in the power of any Government to upset the whole thing.

Mr. Seddon.] I think it necessary that some explanation should be given why I have not attended the meeting earlier. The Conference was called for the Australian Premiers. I received no notice, and I am not an Australian Premier. I did not know it was to deal with the subjects that have been considered in which we are just as much interested as the other Premiers who were present.

The Secretary of State.] I certainly thought you were coming, Mr. Seddon ; we waited a little time for you.

Mr. Seddon.] You said, on adjourning the other day, Australian Premiers, and the notice, I understand, said Australian Premiers.

Mr. Reid.] It was to discuss the Alien Bill.

Mr. Seddon.] I did not know anything about the meeting.

AUSTRALIAN

MAILS.

Mr. Reid.] We were to meet at 11 o'clock to deal with the Aliens Bill. Sir John Forrest.] I am very sorry Mr. Seddon was not here. vote I probably should have been in a majority.

With his

NAVAL

CONTRIBUTION.

The Secretary of State.] There was no vote taken.

Sir John Forrest.] You seemed to think there was a majority.

The Secretary of State.] Oh no, I did not.

Sir John Forrest.] How was it carried, then?

The Secretary of State.] It was not carried. We had the opinion of three of the Australian Premiers against the change; we had the opinion of three who were ready to accept the change; then we had to consider the interests of India, and of this country; and the British Government under those circumstances will be obliged to consider all the interests.

Sir John Forrest.] You said I was in a minority.

The Secretary of State.] I did; that is quite true. There was no vote taken; it was only a record of opinion.

Sir John Forrest.] I was not in a minority. I would like that to be noted. The Secretary of State.] We will take care that is done.

NAVAL CONTRIBUTION.

(At this stage the Right Honourable G. J. Goschen, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Admiral Sir Frederick William Richards, and the Premiers of other than Australian Colonies, joined the Conference.)

The Secretary of State.] Mr. Goschen has been kind enough to attend to explain to the Premiers the views which the Admiralty take with regard to the question of naval contribution. It is a matter of interest to all the Colonies, the Australian Colonies, the Dominion of Canada, and the South African Colonies.

Mr. Goschen.] I have been asked to make some statement with reference to the attitude of the Admiralty as to Colonial contributions towards Naval Defence, and in particular as to the agreement with the Australasian Colonies.

I may say generally that we are content to abide by the existing agreement. The declarations which have been made on one of the earlier days of the Conference by some of the Colonial Premiers have convinced me as to the difficulties which would beset other methods of Colonial contribution, and so, I repeat, we are content to abide by the existing agreement. We would be perfectly prepared to hear any argument against it, or for modifying it; but as matters now stand, and in view of what I have learnt of what has passed in this room, we should certainly not propose to give notice for the termina-

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tion of that agreement, and we should leave it as it is, and administer it as it has been administered hitherto.

The question may be looked at from three points of view from the political point of view, from the strategical point of view, and from the purely Admiralty and Naval point of view. From the purely Admiralty and Naval point of view we can work the agreement, and we should wish to work it on the same lines as those on which we work it at present. From the political point of view I can of course only speak as an individual member of the Government; but as First Lord of the Admiralty and a member of the Government, I value the principle which is involved in the contribution of the Colonies to the Navy which was settled some years ago; and I think it would be a great pity and a retrograde step if such ties as have been established were to be cut. Sir Gordon Sprigg has sent us a very gracious proposal from the Cape, which shows the development of that system. We should be very glad to open up negotiations with Canada, if not precisely on the same lines, because its situation is somewhat different, yet on other lines.

I come back to the point that we value generally the contributions to the Navy, not only for their amount, because, I frankly admit that, with our present vast estimates, a contribution of 126,000l. is not an item to which we should attach, at the Admiralty, any great importance. Of course I cannot speak for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Well, that being so, from the in favour of the maintenance of the political point of view, I myself am agreement. I have said that from the Naval point of view I am also in favour of the maintenance of the agreement. Though I do not mean to say that it assists us to any great extent, it does produce between the Admiralty and the Colonies certain ties which we value, and which I should be very sorry to do anything to loosen.

From the strategical point of view, we should be glad that the Admiralty should have a free hand. I was glad to see that it has been acknowledged by the Premiers that the operations of the Australian squadron in the Solomon Islands, and generally in the Pacific groups, have a distinct Colonial as well as an Imperial interest, and that no complaint could be raised against the employment of ships on the Australasian station for purposes so distinctly Colonial as many of these purposes are, though such employment might carry the ships to a considerable distance from the continent of Australia. But, apart from this, the object for which we want a free hand is to be able to conduct the defence of Australia on the same principles as those which we should follow in the defence of our English, Scotch, and Irish ports, principles which exclude our undertaking to detach ships to particular porta. For instance, we could not undertake to post one ship at Sydney, another at Adelaide, and another at Melbourne. We must rely upon the localities them- selves for the defence of these ports, while, on our part, we undertake that no organised expedition should be directed against any part of Australia. No organised expedition could be sent either from Japan, or from the United States, or from France, without the full knowledge of the Admiralty. That I assume. We are too ubiquitous for any such expedition to be secretly organised. If it were organised, our whole strength would be directed to defeating such a move- meut. I see it has been suggested in a previous discussion that possibly we might, under stress, take away the ships which may be on the Australian station, and for which you have partly paid and on which you rely, in order to send them to some distant quarter. But I cannot conceive any case, unless we lost actually our sea power, when we should think it our duty not to defend so valuable a portion of our Empire as Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania, for the safety of which we hold ourselves responsible in the same way as we hold ourselves responsible for the safety of the British Islands. I put this very strongly, so that there may be no apprehension. In all our strategical com- binations we have never conceived the possibility that we should expose such. possessions as the Australian Colonies.

Mr. Reid.] I may say, Mr. Chamberlain, if I may be permitted to make an observation, that I accept and adopt every word in the statement which has been made by the First Lord of the Admiralty. I am propared to strenuously move for the renewal of the treaty; in fact, you yourself are, Mr. Goschen, unless it is disclaimed.

Mr. Goschen.] Yes, unless notice is given.

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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C.O.885

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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