AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 195, 16 August 1906, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE.

THE REPORT ISSUED. COMMAND OF THE SEA. COAST DEFENCE SECONDARY. LOCAL NAVY CONDEMNED. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) MELBOURNE, August 15. The scheme of defence of Australia approved by the Imperial authorities was laid on the table of the House of Representatives to-night. (Received 9.8 a rp.) MELBOURNE, this day. The report approved by the Committee of Imperial Defence, which has been prepared at the request of the Federal Government, deals exhaustively with the question of the defence of tho Commonwealth. A second report supplied to the committee and covering details and estimates for the revision of coast defence, remains secret, and Yvas not tabled last night with tho scheme of defence.

The opening part of the report discusses the broad principle of Imperial naval defence and the necessity of maintaining supremacy of the seas, and says: "Any attempt to wrest it from Great Britain can only be made by fighting naval battles in which the main fleets of the contending powers aTe concentrated. Although raids on the distant portions of the Empire can only be of secondary importance, as the ultimate issue of war must depend on the result of fleet actions. The constant policy of the Admiralty is to keep the British squadrons on the distant stations sufficiently strong to protect trade from the normal foreign squadrons stationed at sea.

The object of making tlie Naval Commander of the Chinese Station responsible for the strategical distribution of cruisers on the China, Australian, and East Indies Stations is simply to ensure that all ships of the enemy in these seas may be dealt with at the earliest possible moment wherever found, and closely concerted offensive action by powerful 6ea-going ships will afford the only effective protection of Australia's floating trade, whether on the high seas or in local waters. With regard .to the risk of raids on the Australian coasts, the report says that so long as British naval strength is maintained as the basis of security of the command of the sea against all probable enemies, attacks on the Australian coast will be limited to •hasty raids by single vessels or small squadrons. Discussing the means of meeting raids, the Committee urges tho necessity of fortified harbour refuges. There was uo likelihood of an undefined town being subjected to bombardment as alternative to the payment of au indemnity. Even were it not the case that any wanton damage would provoke reprisals which must fall the more heavily on the weaker maritime power. Stress is laid in the report on the need for defendiug the cable landing places. THE STRAGETIC PORTS. MEETING POSSIBLE RAXDS.

The only fortified ports required as strategic harbours of refuge are Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Normanby Sound, and Hobart It is calculated that the maximum number of vessels engaged in a raid would be three or four, with a disembarking force of one thousand at the outside. The report says that the chief defect of the present Australian armaments is the want of homogenity and deficiencies of accessories.

AN AUSTRALIAN NAVY. SCHEME REGARDED AS IMMATURE.

A scheme of re-organisation is outlined. Wi*-h regard to Captain Cresswell's proposal for a local navy, the Committee ■is of opinion that the proposals appear to bo based upon imperfect conceptions of the reqnirepiente of naval strategy at the present day, and the proper application of the. naval forces. The report concludes: The natural and legitimate aspiration of Australia to furnish a distinctively Australian element to the sea-power of the Empire will find satisfactory realisation in an increasing degree when the scheme still in its infancy and initiated by the naval agreement of 1903 lips had time to take full effect In the future it may be expected that an increasing number of ships specially manned and officered by Australians will be included in the fleets of the Royal This Yvill in time of peace ensure wide opportunities cf training and enhance the fighting value of units to a degree unobtainable in a small navy; while, in the event of war, these ships will represent Australia and enable her to take a more worllTy share in the operations than if her naval activity we -c confined to guarding against problematical attacks on her coasts.