POPULATION AND DEFENCE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22570, 28 November 1938, Page 14

POPULATION AND DEFENCE

TO THE EDITOR OX TEE XBESS Sir,—Your frequent attempts to arouse public opinion directly and indirectly and by implication to the need of waking up concerning national defence have not yet met with much result. Presumably it is the usual English attitude of just muddlirig along. With Mr Chamberlain scorching his fingers with everything he touches, it Is obvious that sooner or later a crash will come. How we will stand seems very problematic. England seems scarcely able to defend herself, let alone''a small Dominion on the other Side* of the world. South Africa is apparently considering a break-away and Australia, according to reports, is at least flirting with the United States regarding defence (nothing official, not likely); Is it not about time that ’ we did * Something about it? We have no defence at present and an enemy could walk in anywhere. Some may say, “What about the United.States? Would ii SB? the ’"English go down?” Jt is

hard to know what the United. States would do, and while, it made up its mind; we could be over-run. A correspoiident in “The Press” today-, “An Out of Date Soldier and War Pilot,” drew attention to some points, and I agree with them.. The modern type of high speed 'motor torpedoboats are built fairly quickly and 50 or 100 of. them distributed about the coast in small flotillas would profitably be a far greater asset in the matter of defence than the few second-rate cruisers we have, which would be no match for modern battle * cruisers. As an enemy would have to Come by sea to make a determined invasion, I believe our first line of defence should be the motor torpedo-boats, working in conjunction with the air fleet, as our few battleships could be disposed of in short order by a determined invader. As submarines take so long to build, I believe they could be ruled out as being of 'much use, and also it seems they are not sufficiently mobile for our conditions. However, as it is unlikely that anything like reasonable preparations Tor defence will be attempted until it is too late, the next best bet would be an alliance with the United States; that is, if the United States would bother with us. Then, maybe, the kiwi is less.likely to be gobbled up while the Eagle hovers nearby.—Yours, etc., ANOTHER EX-PILOT. November 25, 1938.