EMPIRE’S PACIFIC DEFENCE

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 111, 3 February 1939, Page 8

EMPIRE’S PACIFIC DEFENCE

Earl Beatty’s Opinion

“SHOULD BE REGARDED WITH CONCERN”

Reply To Lord Strabolgi

The opinion that from what he had seen in his short travels, “our position of weakness in this part of the Empire is something to be regarded with concern by those who live here,” was expressed by Earl Beatty, son of the former Admiral of the Fleet, and chairman of the London executive of the Navy League, when replying to the welcome tendered him by the Wellington branch of the league yesterday afternoon. The Navy League, he said, had a great task in front of it and that was to see that never again should they be placed in the position of the last few years and to see that defence was really the league’s motto. The president of the Wellington branch of the Navy League, Sir Charles Norwood, presided. “Not Going To Be Knocked Out.” S ee,” said Earl Be - .y, “that Lord Strabolgi made the statement in Australia that if we in England were wiped out, you here would to keep up British traditions. I am not in the same camp as Lord Strabolgi, and I will say, first, that we in England are not going to be knocked out. (Applause.) And secondly I will say that if that disaster should happen you are a prize worth taking, while I am not so sure that our little crowded island is worth all that. “If one goes, we all go,” Earl Beatty said. “Therefore, we must all cooperate and stand together and see that the British tradition is kept up, not only on one side of the world, but on all sides of the world.” Earl Beatty said it was not for him to come here and tell New Zealand what to do. He only came here to do what he could to help the Navy League branches, and also to . take back any knowledge he could gain in the way in which the branches of the league ran their affairs. Already he had seen that the New Zealand branches could show England a great deal by their- enthusiasm. “I can see that you are a very live organization in this capital city of New Zealand,” he said. League’s Task Not Over. "Do not think for one minute that because the days of disarmament are over the work of .the Navy League is over also,” he continued. “Far from it. We have a great task in front of us to see that never again shall we be placed in the position of .the last few rears, and to see also-that defence is really our motto. We have had a great lead from the Prime Minister in England in that respect.”

Earl Beatty said, he believed, after a very short visit, that New Zealand had a lot to learn in that direction, and it was up to organizations such as the Navy League to see that that gospel was preached throughout the land. Referring to the importance of the mercantile marine, he said that in ail tlie talk of rearmament that was one of the things the Navy League was trying to push home to the Government in England, because the mercantile marine was not in the strong position in which it should be. Many more qualified to speak than he was said that the mercantile marine was anything from 1000 to 2000 ships short. "It is time we locket! to that service and saw that it received the fair play it deserves,” he said. “Our tonnage has declined by 1,500,000 tons, while foreign tonnage lias increased by nearly 23,000,000 tons, so you will see we are not in the position we were in in 1914 to face a crisis. More Bases and Ships."It should be one of your aims and objects to press home to your Government, as we are pressing it home to our Government, that that service shall not be neglected in the future.” lie said. He did not think the league should rest content till there were more bases out here from which cruisers coul'd operate, and till there were more ships on the New Zealand station. In England, thanks to tlie generosity of Lord Nuffield, they had been able to extend the scope of the sea cadet movement, Earl Beatty said, and he wanted to see a strong sea cadet corps throughout New Zealand.

“I believe that would be one of tlie best things for the young people of the country. We must see that our young people are imbued with the right spirit of patriotism an'd service to their country. You have given up compulsory service. Something must take its place to imbue the young people with the idea that they must serve their country voluntarily.”