STRONGER NAVY

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 103, 25 January 1939, Page 10

STRONGER NAVY

Vital To Integrity Of Empire

PROPAGANDA URGED

Speech By Earl Beatty In

Auckland

By Telegraph—Press Association,

AUCKLAND, January 24.

“The completion of the Singapore Base has strengthened your position, but you should not be satisfied till you have got more ships and proper defence for your bases, said Earl Beatty, chairman of the Navy League in England, in making an earnest plea to a large gathering of league members for mote propaganda throughout the Empire on behalf of a strong Navy. “I do not disparage the Air Force, with which the Navy works hand in hand,” he added, “but the integrity of the Empire must always depend on the Navy, no matter how strong the Air Force may become.”

It should not be imagined, said Earl Beatty, that because the days of disarmament were over, the work of the Navy League was also at an end. On the contrary, it had an • even greater task than when, within the past 15 years, it had tried to prevent unilateral disarmament by Britain. “We have got to see that rearmament is continued and that the British Empire as a whole is brought up to proper strength,” Earl Beatty went on. “We must see that our diplomacy is not handicapped as it has been , very recently. Perhaps we should not e come out of the late crisis with the loss of prestige which we obviously have suffered if our fighting forces had been up to the strength they should have had. “Though I may appear to criticize, I wish to pay tribute to Mr. Chamberlain for what he did. His critics assume'.that the dictators were bluffling but there is no shred of evidence to show that they were. The Empire was fortunate in having him to struggle as he did struggle to keep peace at that time.”

More propaganda was necessary because the British people were not sufficiently worked up to the necessity for building up fighting forces to the proper degree of strength, continued the speaker. His present voyage had brought home to him more than ever the weakness of Britain in this part of the world. Not only the Old Country was dependent for survival upon the defence of British trade routes. It was equally important for New Zealand. Great Britain was the largest importer of her goods and any insterruption of trade would hit the Dominion hard. “I see that there is propaganda here for an increase in the air force,” remarked Earl Beatty. “Admirable as that is, it is your duty to see that the public is sufficiently educated not to forget the navy.” Stronger Mercantile Marine The need for a stronger mercantile marine was shown by the fact that there were under the British flag more than 1000 fewer ships than at the outbreak of the Great War. In that period Britain had been brought nearly to her knees by German submarines. It was sad to think that today she had by comparison so few merchant ships because in war numbers counted, not size.

British mercantile tonnage had decreased by 1,500,000, while foreign tonnage had increased by 20,000.000. It was for the Navy League to see that this was brought home to all and to do everything possible to ensure that Empire Governments should help a service that was vital to security. Earl Beatty went on to speak of the great efforts being made in Britain to increase the sea cadet corps, which was training the country’s youth and teaching them that service was tlie best expression of patriotism. He felt that New Zealand could do much in the same way. He sincerely hoped a sea cadet corps would be started in Auckland and that before long there would be a string of such corps all round the New Zealand coast.