NAVY LEAGUE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17985, 31 January 1924, Page 11

NAVY LEAGUE.

DOMINION CONFERENCE. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND, January 30. . The Dominion Conference of the New Zealand Navy League was opened today, Mr It. D. D. McLean presiding. The delegates were welcomed by th© Mayor (Mr J. 11. Gunson). Mr A. M. Ferguson was elected chairman of the oonterence and president for the ensuing year. A long discussion took place on a remit brought forward by Commander Middleton, R.N.: "That immediate steps 6hould he taktn to provide the necessary material and train officers and men for the local defence of our harbours and <£iasts. This is a duty the Imperial Navy can never undertake, and mast l>e provided for from local resources. The necessary material can largely be obtained from the Imperial Navy by loan purchase or girts. Officers and men can l>e drawn from local yachtsmen, but they must have the "neeessaiy craft and equipment, and it will be two or three years before any local efficiency can be looked for. This will cost a good deal, but at present our coasts and harbours are quite defenceless against the attaclifi of submarines, minelayers and similar craft."

The remit wag adopted after*-Mr C. J. Treleaven (Canterbrury) had •withdrawn his opposition on th© ground that the matter -was outside practical politics and that if money _ were spent on coast defence the main, defence. the Royal. Navy, would' be neglected. Lieut. li. J. Nisbet (Nelson) expressed the opinion that tKe Singapore base was not going to benefit Now Zealand so much as some people imagined. • It was not being built for th© defence of, the Dominion. Protection of the trade routes to Australia raid India was infinitely more important, and any system, of const defence in New Zealand would have to he carried out by New Zealand itself. . A remit dealing with naval training brought forward at lost year's conference w:is unanimously reaffirmed. It was desirable that the opportunities afforded for naval in lieu of military training as provided for in th©. Now Zealand Royal Naval. Ileso-rv© .regulations, should be. extended to include boys between 14* aiid 18 years. Anotlicir carried emphasised the necessity for the New Zealand Government assuming a fair proportion of the cost of maintaining a "system." of strong naval defence for the Don'nion, trade routes and coast lines, h was submitted tbnt tho fairest ksis'*as by a per capita contribution ot'ths same rate as in .Britain., It was also resolved strongly to support the Singapore naval bas'o •: and to urge its completion in shorter. time then the tw«lvo years as at; present proposed.