The Times of Monday printed from its Australian corre- spondent
a summary of a statement on naval policy by Mr. Millen, Minister of Defence for the Commonwealth. Mr. Millen's criticism of Mr. Churchill's treatment of Australia in his recent speech on the Naval Estimates is very severe. He says that Mr. Churchill's policy is " destructive of the basis on which the Australian Navy was organized"; that it means " the adoption of an unco-ordinated ephemeral scheme for the defence of the Pacific in place of a definite Imperial policy of co-operation," and is " a vital departure from the policy agreed upon by the Dominions and the Imperial Government." He says, moreover, that it was adopted "without previous consul- tation with, or notification to, the Dominion Governments." Mr. Churchill, we must say, was careful to point out that Australia has an absolute right of judgment, and that it would be impossible for the Admiralty to dictate to her. That being so, an arrangement ought to be easy by means of a Conference, which we hope will be summoned. Australia has already expressed a wish for a Conference, but the Admiralty is reluctant. The British Government think that the main- tenance of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance is the best protection for Australia and New Zealand. The Australians do not share this confidence. That is really the root of the matter.
