ROYAL NAVY PASSING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 21, 25 January 1930, Page 10 (Supplement)

ROYAL NAVY PASSING.

SWIFT AND SURE AS FATE. AN IMPERISHABLE TRADITION OUR FUTURE LIES IN THE AIR. (By A. CORBETT-SMITH, author of "The Seafarers," "Nelson, the Man," etc.) '■ '■ ' " ' Our Royal Navy is swiftly passing. Soon it will be no more than a. tale which is told. Only its glorious tradition will remain imperishable. Over? so mighty an issue, touching all our hearts, the English do not argue nor bargain.. The Premier, though a • Scotsman," has rightly interpreted the spirit of the people.Before our eyes is being enacted in real life the closing scene of Wagner's titanic music drama, "The Ring." Far away in the heavens a red glow of fire breaks out. It is Valhalla burning. Within the castle Wotan and. the gods sit-with calm resignation awaiting their end. The flames burn more fiercely. All , is finished—save love. Wotan and his fellow gods did not condescend to argue with Fate. Nor do the chiefs of our nation. The Royal Navy attained its apotheosis in November, 1918, with the bloodless surrender, of the German Fleet at Scapa. As the spear-head of the British Nav.v of the Four Estates—namely, the Royal Navy, the Mercantile Marine, the Fisher folk, , and the men and women of an island .race —it had won the war. for the Allies and civilisation.. . All that has since followed has been a gradual dissolution. The new power of the air has made the continuance of .the Royal Navy impossible. That, and the growing world-wide recognition of the futility and idiocy of war when, as now, the entire civil' population is:involved. ' ' . ' Th'ere ■; is no need to trace the steps of- that' dissolution. Anyone interested may readily find the facts and figures for himself in everyday books of reference. Where in' 1914 our axiom was the- "two Power standard," or even "two keels, to one," in 1920 our Admiraty and Government approved we should not'be "inferior to the next strongest' Power." ' •• .'-, Triumphant to the Occasion. To-dayj as all the world knows, we have yielded even that. . Only, in cruiser numbers are we superior to our sole rival, the United States. 'In' both destroyers and; submarines, for example,' we are outnumbered by two 'to' one'. "In reduction' of 'personnel; the Royal 'Navy; all ranks, numbered 151,000 in 1914, 121,700 in; 1921, and 84,815 in 1929. ~ :' We« are but human, a n< l we cannot and'happily yield an achievement; to the building of which we have giyenorer a thousand years. And when. ' that achievement is ■ built of our very and is the visible embodiment " of.: pur, people's very. soul,, spirit and ' character, is it to be wondered that our j representatives at international confer--1 ences; since 1891 have hesitated to use | the'shears of;Atropos and soever the final ■threads? .-'-.. ' ■t Asa: people, being only human,.:we are;proneto many mistakes and' many ■ : absurdities. But, by the grace that. is i in us, never do we fail.to rise triumphant ; to the occasion when the supreme issue is" joined. ■;•,"• :. It was. in tJaat spiri.ithat. we proudly and' definitely declined' the challenge from- America in armament competition, ; and it was in that'spirit'that; our Premier" went no more . company than of' private; secre'ta'ries.*'/ . ""•* ' \ :; ... '''■'■% t j ■:': Each incident has "staggered" America, I looking for somesubtle schemel of * a ' Machiavelli. Yet wej are.being: just our I natural selves.- We.yield; not only with wisdom but with a dignity which history,\l am sure, will "not fail to acclaim. ;• i.'"'■•; •?.; _T 4 -.< .- Such, too, is the tradition'of the Royal Navy, our exemplar. Not merely that -a man's service shall tend only with his -• death" but, if the call should come,: that jthe.:manner of his death, shall be equally \ worthy. So it was that".Nelson, at his i passing, called for a handkerchief to ; coyer his face and the glittering stars ; upon his breast that be. coni.veyed, to'.,the. cockpit at; this crisis ;unnoticed by the crew" , j But there.is another factor to uphold ' our dignity at this crisis of our national {life. And;it-is one of which I believe Hhat our people,:with the sure instinct iof .the' welLbalance • mind, is innately 1 aware.' :y X :'..-■"'■■ ' i For ; the first time; in the history of the world'the loss of sea power to a maritime nation does not imply the decline of that nation. "More Feathers to Our Wings." ' Carthage, Greece, Rome,; Venice, Spain, Holland all began inevitably to ■, with, the loss; of their; sea: supremacy. \ 'save our weak-kneed, chickenlivered pessimists, will, dare to suggest that this' is the present outlook before the British Commonwealth of Nations? : Rather do we exclaim — / . . .'. let all things be thought . upon that may with reasonable swiftness add, more feathers to ;;.;'. our wings. \ For it is in the air that our future lies. We' do not well observe' the saying, "Welcome tho coming, speed the parting guest." Wo are accustomed to build very:slowly upon tradition and precedent. Also.we are the most sentimental people on;earth.,; Thus, the reorientation needed in; bur national outlook-is slow in coming. And ; like our •"good-byes" . at'rthe railway station we are?taking !i a' long farewell of our Royal Navy., There are yet some years before us. And very popular indeed'are our ships, and sailor-men in these days.'. "Every nice girl loves a sailpr.V' During Navy> Week last summer entertained over, a quarter of a million eager, happy visitors, exploring every nook and cranny .-, from masthead-tops tdseugine room] A ! comedy drama of 'the Royal Navy;is-bin outstanding success of /the" London sea- ■ son. A film ; of the -legendary Nelson and his sea-fights is very popular. Books, upon the sea and pur Seafarers are in j . increasing demand. These and other j portents. , .;...', '•:-' , :jf, , \ \-~ ! No, to; echo the ': old i slogan,, we are notnlownhearted/ But.' pur deepmost-' sympathy goes out to those 'many thou-- j sands, both R.N. officers,; and men who ■'.'. are.being "axed" and the workers and j their,families turned adrift .from NaVyj--y shipbuilding centres.- j - +r^^ PJlblic::has never learned the dire j' followed the-clos--5 : «*Ha^u7^ B at ' Pembroke ] B^l?S^. : to-iname but these '. r -'^ oi tW^ t^ bam ls , a ch -• »?«.• theiv ,^ iveg :aml ; continuous effort - ? ? tii ' Poetical and Tt has- been•saidtw +ll ;4 vsea^aftarr' off: B n „u^^ £ ■• The v man's' Bible. heritage. The: Royal N^ OUr proiid est ; butHh e ; S oul^ofr^it>u-i_la_;?tt1 a _;?ttS ay • Pass " . '-M"'-'"