DEFENCE FORCES

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21858, 11 August 1936, Page 8

DEFENCE FORCES

TO THE EDITOB OF THE PRESS. Sir,—l notice that the idea of cooperating with Australia for mutual defence is finding favour with an increasing number of people. Still, the attitude of the Government has not been revealed yet, and when the subject of defence was under discussion in the Legislative Council, no reference to Australia was made. Neither has Australia been mentioned- by our military experts; yet in any scheme of air defence the two countries must work together. With a combined population of nearly 10,000,000 people, they should be able to make all the aeroplanes required, together with ammunition and other equipment. This would furnish a swift means of transporting troops between the two countries, or from part to part of each, vphich would be particularly useful if a landing were attempted in northern Australia, the most likely place for an attack. The problem of naval defence is not so simple, as there must be so much uncertainty as to what-is required. If Britain were hard pressed, and enemy raiders were sent here, our combined fleets would be found quite small enough. The protection of food supplies on the water would be undertaken almost solely by Britain herself, and under modern risks would no doubt be a matter a£ bilge convoys.

-ta 4®' nut*' duty to 'itiskc it ■ clcsr to Great Britain, and her foes too, that even if wa cannot be much help we are not - going to be a menace to her by remaining unprepared- -To_ the wisest course will h~ to make those preparations which will be most effective in the quickest time, namely, by concentrating on our air defences.— Yours, etc- " T.A S. August 9. 1936.