 This request imposed upon Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier what became known as his ‘naval question'.Since the time of the American Revolution, the British government had become wary of attempting to solicit tax contributions from its remaining colonies, and by the early 20th-century direct taxation of the Dominions from London was out of the question.However, once the Royal Navy decided to build its own battleships in large numbers, the British government agreed to request money from the Dominions to help finance this costly project.