WEAKNESS OF N.Z.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 29, 4 February 1939, Page 13

WEAKNESS OF N.Z.

PROTECTING TRADE

| EARL BEATTY'S COMMENTS. ASSURANCES BY MINISTER. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. An assurance that the Government realised its responsibilities, realised the position tlie world was in to-day, and knew that the navy must keep the trade routes open, was given by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, when referring briefly to the Government's defence programme at a meeting addressed by Karl Beattv, chairman of the London 'executive *of tlie Navv Lesiguc, last night.

Karl Bcatfcy, Mr. Jones said, could go back to tlie Old Country with a message that New Zealand would do its share in any crisis, that might arise. The Minister, on behalf of the Government, extended a warm welcome to Earl and Countess Beattv to New Zealand, and expressed the hope that they would come back again. ''During the last three "years a great deal has been done in connection with the development of our naval forces. I can assure you," he said to Earl Bcatty, "that we are not finished yet. We realise that that development has got to go on, and we have just recently approved of a further programme in connection with tlie defence forces of the Dominion. Naval defence takes its share in that programme."

• Much Encouraged. Mr.'Jones said the Govenuhent trusted that another crisis never'would arise, but it realised the importance of the British Navy, and so far as New Zea-. land defence was concerned, it would play its part.

Earl Beatty said he was much encouraged by what he had just heard from the Minister. "I hope that nothing I say will offend you," he said, "but believe me when I say that anything that falls from my lips is in the sincere, wish to help you in the great task that lies before you. "I should like to congratulate the Government of New Zealand on what it has done recently in regard to the defence forces. I fully realise the Minister of Defence has a difficult task in front of him, but with this congratulation I should like to add the caution that I feel there is much more to be done, and done rapidly.

"In these fast-moving days speed is the essence of everything, and I believe that it is tlm responsibility of a Government in these unsettled times to see that security shall come first in its programme."

I In spite of her great programme of | rearmament, England still had "a long : way to go before she had safe security, j Its objective was to return to what was called the two Power standard, jlt had a battle fleet at home for the protection of home waters, and one in the Far East, based at Singapore, for the ])rotcction of the Dominions and colonies in that part of the world. England's Expenditure. By 1042 England might be able to spare two or more divisions of her battleships to be based on Singapore, but that he thought was hardly sufficient if the nations should be plunged into war by the totalitarian States and any potential enemy in the Far East.

In 1937 : 3S the amount of money spent for the defence services, both out of revenue and loan money, in England, was in New Zealand money £348,000,000, roughly.£7 15/ a head. In New Zealand the . amount spent was £1,G04,000, roughly £1 a head. The estimate for 1938-39 was that Britain should spend £9 10/ a head in defence out of revenue and taxes, whereas New Zealand would pay £1 5/ a head.

When one considered that the overseas trade of New Zealand, carried in New Zealand ships, was worth £123,000,000 a year, and that there were only one cruiser and two sloops to protect that trade, was it any wonder that lie had remarked on the "weakness of New Zealand.