EMPIRE'S SAFETY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 122, 25 May 1935, Page 21

EMPIRE'S SAFETY.

STRENGTH OF NAVY.

"BELOW THE REQUIREMENTS 7,

STATEMENT BY COMMODORE,

"Our Navy, on which the wealth, safety and strength of the Empire chiefly depends—to quote from the Naval Discipline Act, ISGG—lias been reduced to what I suggest is definitely below the requirements for Empire safety. This is a fact with which I am euro you are all in complete agreement, and , one in which there is no need'for me to | enlarge on to the present company." 1 This statement was made by Com-. niodore the Hon. ft. R. Drunimond. '' officer commanding the New Zealand ' Division of the Royal Navy, in the - course of a short speech in replying to j the toast of "The Services" at an Empire Day dinner at Hotel Cargeu last < night. ■ j In outlining briefly the objects of the Royal Navy in pence time, Commodore Drummond said the primary object was to have a navy in being with welltrained personnel of good morale and as efficient in material as the funds voted would allow —a navy capable of safeguarding the Empire in war. Peace Time Duties. "Other purposes of the Navy in peace | are varied," lie continued, "and to give you an idea of these I cannot do better than read a few extracts from the statement of the First Lord of the Admiralty on ileet activities in China, 1934-35! — ■ "'(1) The Coinmander-in-Chief paid a special visit to attend the funeral of Admiral Marquis Togo in June. "'(2) Ships have been sent to various Chinese ports to safeguard British interests where threatened by trouble. "'(3) On the occasion of piracy of the British- ship Shuntein in June, H.M.S. Kaglo and destroyers quickly located the pirates with the aid of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm, and forced them to release their prisoners. '"(4) Prompt action by the Navy resulted in the rescue of a British ship, the Tungchow, with 70 school children on board" from prirates. "'(5) In March the Wishart, a destroyer, Avent alongside the U.S.fe. Fulton, on fire at sea, and rescued IJD of the crew. , '"(G) Suffolk rescued the crew of the City of Cambridge, which was wrecked in heavy weather in October. •"'(7) Adventure assisted the tug ( Taikoo when in danger from a typhoon. "And although on the China station life in the Navy has more incidents than on other stations, much the same sort of thing goes on in the other squadrons which Great Britain and the Empire maintain all over the world, continued the commodore. "Showing the Flag." "Another duty the Navy performs is what we call 'showing the flag. Ins I will define in the following words: 'To promote the preservation of a permanent union between the Mother Coun-™-v and all parts of the Empire and to maintain the power and best tradition of the Empire; to provide a comfoitablo place of meeting and to bring tether and promote social intercourse between residents m the United King dom and British subjects overseas; to everv possible way. T "I daresav you have realised that I have just quoted'some of «»e objects of the Royal Empire Society. I hopo-you will for-ive my having done this, but they do e eo excellently describe 'showing the fla".' Although this is not as wardous as other duties performed by JheNavy it is sometimes just as strenuot a fact that is well known both" to us and to you."