NEW ZEALAND NAVY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 224, 21 September 1929, Page 11

NEW ZEALAND NAVY.

AN -HISTORIC -SURVEY. ' WEED FOR WARSHIPS. REVIEW BY SIR JAMES ALLEN. "New Zealand and Naval Defence" formed the subject of a highly instrnc-; ti've address - delivered by 'Sir James; Allen at Dunedin before the 'Otago; branch of the New Zealand Historical Association. • ; ■Sir James -said thai;'the New Zealand Navy might be said'to have been commenced in 184G, when a gunboat was| purchased for Porirua Harbour. : By; 1864 New Zealand had quite an iiripos-; ing fleet manned from warships then oil! the station. The speaker-then reviewed the work of -the 'Royal Commission set; up iin 1879 to -inquire into the defericei of British possessions, and gave* a short history' df *tbe work ■of ■ Colonial •Con-; ferences held-from 18S7 to 1904. These were succeeded by the Imperial Confer-, ences, the first of which met in 1907. Proposals 'to establish a. Pacific fleet were considered, and in 1909 the New Zealand Government - presented the battle-cruiser Zealand to '-the British Governmeiit.. Meanwhile, an' Australian squadron had been formed, and owing to the rapid development of: the German fleet, the Pacific fleet never' materialised. "Eastern Fleet of Empire." Sir James Allen gave an interesting and detailed account of the negotiations between the British Government 'and the Reform Government of 1912, in which he was Minister of Defence. lie had, he said, in liis negotiations with the Honie Government, made the proposal, that legislation should be enacted giving .the New Zealand Government power to raise and maintain a permanent naval ■force. This proposal was to be realised 1 gradually by the loan of ships and training officers. The Naval Defence Act of •1&13, and an amendment ! in the Act of 1922, 'provided terms of ; service, after; Which 'volunteers were to be 7 transferred ; ■to the naval /reserve'for service in time, of war. The'outbreak of the Great War: had then thrown a serious obstacle ini ■the way of progress. Development of Policy. The development of-the naval policy; ■of New Zealand, which had been thus, iiifteri*upted, was a matter for grave! ='thdiight >fdr : -the Government, ;When 'the; ■war ;ca'me 'to an end in 1918. Tt v was| ? fdlt '-thait ;a report ought to 'be f securecl; to 'enable the Government v to 'proceed; with a naval policy on sound lines, and' a request was submitted to the -British! Government, with the result that Viscoliiit Jeilieoe was app'dirit'ed to 'prepare' a report.' Tliat was done -in 1919, and; the repof- made it clear that "the proper' strategy -for »the British Empire in the' Pacific Was-to "provide an adequate fleet 'in the Fat 'East, and to defend Singaipore and fidngkong against attacks. For; New Zealand, Viscount Jeilieoe recom•xnended three'light cruisers, six-, submarines, one isiibniarine parent ship, and. a naval air fschodl. The provision of'the necessary .'vessels ifoir harbour ddfeiiee, and local -for harbour de-i fences 'Were dealt With in great detail,! atd there Was alSb <a 'section to ininesWeeping. The-necessity of "fuel; and the importance -of 'the Westpo'rtj mines were' stressed, with a reconimen-j dation tfor tlie erection of oil tarik's fitj Auckland aiid Wellingtdh. Estimates of[ cost were also/given, Jelli'eoe's' proposals were based on { tlie geiiefalj principle that New Zealand should pay, for the and imaiiitenance of its; division, arid provide SUeli Spdrtions of! the personnel of the ?ships -&"s Hv'a's tpfac-j tic-able. ; Bigger 'Cruisers 'Coining. , j tfa 1920 Sir Jrtmes Allen Wits 'appdintecti High 'Commissioner 'fdr New Zealand, j atti'a wSS 'iftfle to ! attdnd 'iniedtings "of | the AgS'dirib'ly >the -League'-of at Geneva un'til 4926. ViscoUiit • Jieilicd'ej had WOogliised 'ifih'e aMp'dtftance df i£lfe( League in this report when he -stated, that further decisions reached miglit'be; affected hy 'the 'formation of J fhe 'League' of "Nations. The Was'liirig'tdn 'Coiifer-, ence 'in 1921 "Was a step showing "that' the desire for reduction of naval arma-i ments was not confined to the League. At the conference Britain abandoned its supremacy as a naval power, and Submitted to reduction of -its naval 5 strength. At the Imperial Conference in 1923,' Empire defence was again discussed. In 1920 the Chatham had been comniis-' 1 sioned 'for a period df three years, On' loan to the New Zealand Government, and in 1921 the Philomel was commis-! sioned as a training sliip. The Chatham was replaced in 1924 by the Dunedin, and in 1925 the Diomede "Was added as • a second cruiser. A resolution o'i: the Imperial 'Conference of 1920 'calling attention to the 'need for a naval base at' Singapore was followed by a statement by the Prime Minister (Mr. .1. G. Coates) in 1927, on Singapore and-naval dcfcnce. "In -this statement 'it was announced that instead of obtaining three cruisers for New Zealand waters when the present cruisers liad to be, withdrawn, they Would be replaced by' cruisers of nearly double the tonnage. Sir James Allen concluded his remarks on "this side of the question with a comprehensive statement of the present position of naval defence in New Zealand. Parity in a State of Flux, Passing on to consideration of the. League of "Nations and the Briand-Kel-, logg Pact, the speaker said he. thought any reduction in armaments was a. minor question when compared with the supreme, issue of securing peace. He then reviewed in broad perspective the question of disarmament as considered at Assemblies, of the League of Nations, and indicated, by way of example, tlie type of disarmament proposals made at the Washington Conference. Applying this to New Zealand, Sir James Allen gave a detailed account of tlie position in the Dominion with regard to disarmament and the administration of mandated territory. The position at the present time with respect to narity between the United States and the British Empire miaht be described as being in a state of flux. The Washington Conference had limited aircraft carriers on a 5-5-3 ratio, so it would lie unreasonable to expect any help from the British unit, though New Zealand might develop its own aircraft to use as eves in defence. One might fairly ask the Americans who questioned the British claim for auxiliary naval craft without restricted limit, for sympathetic consideration ' when the coasts of New Zealand' and the many possessions of the Empire horderini on . Die seas might be. subjected to a- minelaying menace at their very doors. The speaker then concluded his address wit'ii a complete summary of 'current opinions on international usage I and pacific blockade.