Greater Sea Power For N.Z. Urged

Press, Volume C, Issue 29552, 29 June 1961, Page 15

Greater Sea Power For N.Z. Urged

“With the nations of East, and West arming themselves! with devastating weapons of , destruction it is all too easy to take the attitude that there is nothing much that we in New Zeeland can do,” says the president of the Canterbury branch of the Navy League (Mr P. D. Hall) in his annual report to be presented at the annual meeting of toe branch next week. “Admittedly, an all-out nuclear war of destruction would result in a world calamity hard to envisage, and nothing spent by us for our defence would help at | all. but we must guard ‘against the danger of warfare which falls short of nuclear destruction. We must bear in mind that minor wars and conflicts have been going on ever since the Second World War ended. “Any of these could flare up at any time into a widespread state of hostilities without either side resorting to nuclear weapons. What then would be New Zealand's position? "Without more naval protection than we have at present all our harbours could be immediately blockaded and kept in that state, probably by submarine minelayers. As our economy depends entirely on keeping our merchant ships moving, the first essential is therefore to equip our Navy with enough modern vessels to keep our main ports open. Adequate Protection “Adequate protection must be provided for convoys of

merchant ships against submarine attack, and this means more of the latest antisubmarine frigates.” The Navy League, with its membership of 700, can help by taking every opportunity of talking about naval defence, the report says. “We must remember that the expenditure of large sums of money on defence is always unpopular, and has in the past been shelved until an emergency has arisen, and then it has been too late. “The executive committee therefore urges you all to keep the need for a stronger Navy constantly before the public, and to remember always that in these times of possible general warfare the role of our Navy has assumed greater proportions than ever before.

“The Navy League is similarly more important than ever before in its role is the nation's civilian voice for sea power.”