Mr. W. H. Smith on Tuesday introduced his Resolutions on
"Imperial Defence." His object was not to obtain money for Imperial Defence, but to strengthen the squadron to be per- manently maintained in Australian waters under an agreement made last year with delegates from the Colonies. The original cost of the squadron is to be £850,000, or a little more, and the Australians are to bear the permanent cost of manning it up to £91,000 a year. He also asked for 22,600,000 to improve the fortifications of coaling-stations and of our own military ports, which require to be supplied with heavier and better guns. These guns have been ordered in expectation of sanction, but they will not, we regret to see, all be ready within three years,—surely an absurdly long time to wait. Mr. Smith stated, indeed, that a first-class gun took nearly as long as a ship to build ; but surely this rate could be accelerated. Why not buy half the guns, as everybody else does, of Krupp P The difficulty is said to be that the great foundries will not put up expensive plant without long con.- tracts; but we ought to be able to do the work, with the assistance of Elswick, at Woolwich. Can nothing, either, be done to expand the very large gun-factories in India, where we could prepare arms for a great war without a single editor in the world knowing anything about the matter ?
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