“Navy At Present A Waste Of Time”

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29335, 14 October 1960, Page 12

“Navy At Present A Waste Of Time”

(Neu) Zealand Preet Aeeociation)

. DUNEDIN, October 13. “The present New Zealand Navy is a waste of time,” Mr A. R. Mackay, of Christchurch, told the annual conference of ,the Navy League in Dunedin today. “And I don’t make any apology to the serving officers and men. It is not their fault. The people in Wellington are fiddling around with the whole problem. They are patching up the Navy,- the Air Force and the Army and are making fl mess of all three of them,” he said.

Mr Mackay was speaking in support of a remit from the Auckland branch “that it is imperative to New Zealand’s Continued haVSI defence that the over-all replacement policy be more forceably implemented, as it is necessary to the efficiency of the defence forces of the Commonwealth.”, The remit said consideration must be given to the length of time between the placing of the order and the delivery of the ship. “Most of us are satisfied that New Zealand needs a navy,” Mr Mackay said. “But the way to go about getting the sort of navy we need requires tact, diplomacy, cajoling and a certain amount of kicking*. “The Royalist, which we made such a fuss about not very long ago, is almost finished and Will be ready for replacing in three years. “Two of our frigates are reported to have holes in their bottoms stopped up with cement, and even if we do order another new frigate now it will be 1965 before it is delivered.

“Something must be done now. The way we are going at present we are throwing away £l2 million a year.” Mr Mackay said the only organisation that could put the matter right was the Government, and the only way they Could exert pressure on the Government was by informing the public of what was happening.

Pressure Advocated Moving the adoption of the remit, Mr A. C. Wallace (Auckland) quoted the Mayor of Auckland (Mr D. M. Robinson) as saying: “If you kick the Government hard enough, long enough, you must eventually get results.” Mr Wallace said he was not conversant with the difficulties facing the Minister and the Cabinet with regard to raising the finance for new ships. He said he realised that, at

present, they, were implementing a strong civil defence policy. But it Was imperative to the defence, not only of New Zealand, but rd the Commonwealth countries, that the Government take the advice of the naval experts. The president (Captain T. S. Marchington).. said the Royalist was still a “very good ship.” He said there was evidence that the order for a third new frigate would be placed very soon.

Commander J. Grant, who represented the R.N.Z.N., said the new ships the Otago and the Taranaki were the first of a new six-frigate Navy. The Naval Board had long been aware of the need for regular replacements; he said, and, in view of this, had prepared a 10-year plan which, in the near future, they would place before the Government. The remit was adopted unanimously