We note with great satisfaction the speech of Mr. Deakin,
the Acting Premier of the Commonwealth, made in Mel- bourne on Tuesday, on the subject of national defence in the Colonies. The choice of the British people, he declared, must be between " over-centralisation " and decentralisation, —but both systems must, of course, he admitted, be under the supreme control of the Imperial Army and Navy. The policy of " over-centralisation" restricted the Colonies to contributions in coin. That of decentralisation would substi- tute trained men and bases of supply in the place of subsi- dies. We entirely agree with Mr. Deakin, and so, we believe, do the British people outside professional circles, in choosing the system of decentralisation. If the Colonies are to help us in time of war, it must be by lending us forces of their own raising. Contributions in cash are, in truth, valueless. In a very few years they become mere small payments in relief of the British taxpayer. Contributions in kind from localised forces are real additions to our strength.
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