ON OR UNDER?

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 27, 1 February 1921, Page 5

ON OR UNDER?

THE BIG SHIP PUZZLE. I DOCKYARDS XV PACIFIC (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) < ißecefcved 11 a.na..i LONDON, January 31. The '"Daily Chronicle,'" in a forecast j ] of the report of the sub-committee on, x Imperial defence, states that it will show I B that the controversy requiring immediate L settlement is nut the__big battleship v. j ( the submarine, but "whether, in view of y the situation throughout the world, Great Britain is strong enough at sea to ( justify the slowing down of the construction programme for capital ships until the naval lessons taught by the wax are i ] better understood by ail nations. —(A. j and N.Z. Cable.) , Admiral Sir George Patey (former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Aus- i ( tralian Fleet i. in a contribution to the | Naval discussion, says that he knows j nothing to justify the statement that ] up-to-date battleships are obsolete and ; valueless. He belii'ves that a oumbina- j tion of surface ships., submarines, and ' ( aircraft is essential for the protection i of lines of aca commerce,! , and coasts. 'lie tmys: ""The sugges l ' oll j, that we should ivait and do nothing . attracts politicians, but the Empire can- . not afford to wait. Unless we immedi- ■ ately do thr best ;or ourselves, in four . years we shall be reduced to the position of a. sreon,! naval power, which would j be toler&Me. The most pressing and j i in Australia and Sew Zealand is dock- j . yards. Whether Brrtain or Australia and [ . New Zealand pro\ides the shipt, docjc- ! ing facilities must bo made available, j This is urgent, because the presence of I ships in Australasian waters would be j imperative in th" event of Pacific com- | plication?.'" Admiral Patey believes that Australia and New Zealand should concentrate n dockyard.*, aircraft, and submarine bases, while Britain should 3upply the largest surface vessels.—. (Uniuvi I WHAT ATTSTRAT.TA TTEEDS. COMBINATION OF AIX CLASSES. (Received li-.TO p.m.i MELBOURNK, this day. Speaking at the Atutralian Natives' Association annnal banquet. Admiral ; Grant, the first naval member of j the Commonwealth Navy Department.' dealt with the controversy between I the supporters of the big ships .on j the one hand and submarines on the! other. It was, he said, a very attractive j policy to choose apparently tie cheap article when considering the question of: defence, but he asked the supporters of the submarines and airships to take into I account the amount required to keep ; Australia's coast line of over twelve '. thousand miles secure by these means. | One vital point was always forgotten, I and thai was the most important one of the protection of trade. Any country which depended on its export trade for its wealth and prosperity, and on its import trade for the essentials for its industry, must never lose command of the seas. Big and small ships each had their function, and in his opinion the time had not come when any one or two | of these classes could successfully compete against a combination of all the others. — (A. and N.Z. Cable.)