DEFENCELESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 170, 20 July 1936, Page 9

DEFENCELESS.

PORT OF AUCKLAND.

DANGER FROM THE AIR

SIR GEO. RICHARDSON'S VIEWS

Practically defenceless is the position of Auckland, . according to an address delivered to Auckland Rotariuns to-day by Sir Geo. Richardson. The speaker stated that .an enemy aircraft carrier—a floating aerodrome — could be stationed beyond the horizon out of reach of such port defences as we had and release its aircraft, to vain bombs on Auckland port and city. Their object, he considered, would not be the murder of civilians, but the destruction of our wharves, our oil and other stores. In this way if the sea balance in the Pacific was substantially againc-t us New Zealand could be completely isolated from the outside world by an enemy power: He invited lijs hearers to ask themselves the questions whether New Zealand had a defence force likely to prove satisfactory under modern conditions and whether this Dominion could play its part should tho Empire be attacked? The League of Nations, said the speaker, bad failed -completely, and now Great Britain had to re-arm for the sake of peace and to regain the influence she formerly held in world affairs. Emphasising the changes that had taken place in late years Sir Geo. Richardson said that at the outbreak of the Great War IS days had elapsed before the first British troops were at Mons ready for action. To-day no more than 18 minutes need elapse before an enemy would be raining bombs upon its objectives. The Pacific, said the speaker, was a veritable Eldorado for raiders, with numberless hiding places. In 1914, with the balance of sea power favouring us, we were anxious as to the transport of our troops overseas; what would be our position if a similar effort were needed to-day. Those who had taken part in the Great War had considered it impossible that after such horrors, another war could be undertaken in living memory, yet to-day we already knew that there were powerful nations ready to go to war for the purpose of conquest. His own feeling was that peace could only be obtained by free co-operation in trade and international agreements. We should make a new League of Nations within the British Empire and invite other nations to join for the maintenance of peace. Meanwhile it was a matter of urgency that we reorganise our defence forces, not for war, but to assist in the assurance of peace. Were we going to leave the defence of our country to a few weak territorial units? In moving a vote of thanks to the speaker, Rotarian D. Milligan stated that at the time of thp Great War the Dominion had a territorial force of 25,000 "men. After "the war it was said, "Never again would we be caught unprepared." Yet to-day our territorial force did not number 18,000, and when a parade was held in the Domain recently, the muster was only 500.