SINGAPORE BASE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 83, 7 April 1924, Page 5

SINGAPORE BASE

ABANDONMENT SUPPORTED

:'B V VICTORIA' COLLEGE DEBATING

SOCIETY

The action of tne Mac Donald Govern-

■inent in abandoning the Singapore Base project'was approved by an overwkeimning riiajority'of members of the Victoria College Debating Society 611 Saturday evening,' after hearing opposing .(views,:stated by several speakers on each side. The motion-was that the abandpn'•'ment of the scheme was to be commend-- ■ ;'ediv!,i ■• - ■ ,^: ■- "■' ■■'■"■ ■■'. ■■.- .;•. i; 'The;mover, Mr. J. W. Davidson, referred tol the 'argument/that; the way to secure peace was to ptepare for war. This doctrine was ,held in.'Britain. just prior to ;tha war, and prominent military-leaders "declared; that war was inevitable. The ibusinass of preparation, instead of .preserving the ,: people from war, crep.ted !prejudices ' and suspicibns, and actually • -plunged the world into war. It was .the ivery-. group of-nations which had talked •>var and prepared for it that ultimately and inevitably got it. Mr: Massey's statement thafvthe chief supporters of- the Singapore Base were naval officers of the -Beet .was .only a. .hajf truth, for there •- ywere many prominent naval men who ■ condemned the scheme.' The voices of the' naval .bnd military anthoijities were .seldom.raised on the side, of peace and amity.- He argued 'that, the establish-;-inent.of a base at Singapore would be the, first: step toVards war, pre- ' cipitating a race" in . armaments between Britain, Japan, and -^possibly America. -■ Hhe, one ■ spark of hope lay in the a_c- , cession to|.office.pf the -Labour Party .in : .Endand. ; Its. . courageous action - in . stamping out, the embers of .war which "glowed at Singapore,, when it.; assumed. ■ office', -'would be remembered by pos-. - -ierity.v' .:,; '•• ■';" :.'•:'*■'.•.: : .'.'-..• i-'-.'."1 V. -Taking the.other "side, Mr. J.'Bj.Yald'.ydn stressed the importance of .the English and Imperial, point of view. .England deperide'd for existence upon her 1 sea-borne trade, .which ' came largely" from the East, and that-trade: must be protected.-. The action of ifie MacDbnald ■ Government was merely ; a sopythrowu ,out 4o placate the radical. wing of its supporters. -Australia and New Zealand, , both realised that their sole protection lay in maintaining an ■ adequate' British' . "naval"force. in Eastern■ waters. It'was s \delusiori ;. to imagine thatr war. -.could be got rid of ■by; disarmament. ;' .■' jj Mr'. R.. ._C.. Campbell, who supported the motion, said that naval opinion fayVpured ; the scheme for the. same reason is out-of-work military 'hied' favoured militarism.. ''; The MacDoriald Govern:- -. r.irient had 'taken a- step "towards interna-. tio'nal, disarmament. "WarVcpuld not be. stopped.by building battleships, but one 'of the first.steps towards stopping it was to take, .the management of foreign' affairs out of- the Haiids of. the clique which,, when they. had guidad the nations. into the rnaelstroni of war, did all their fight-1 ■ ing by-pi-bxy. '• -: :'; _' ;';' '■' ;.-i"'.".|'.'; ; ■-. The second speaker against the motion • wa's.'Mr.V.Cij 9- PopeVwho further Btfess- : ed the':dep.en4ence df'.the Dominions . "uppn the protection of their-.trade routes.: The friendship of. Japan j th'e:Germany.b£ the PaqifiCj "would.last.no longer : ;thaij. i 6uited r her.-;;'> Treaties could always be brokem.A .'■■'■': ■-.'■•-;.,'■- '}■;-■■■.■ ■■■^'.■'.'; •'■ '■'.'• .. Messrs. ,Arndt^-' Haig, .Eogera,' -For-:', tune, Hurley, Beaglehple, Rollings, and M'Caw supported the motion," Hand' Mr.;■ Smith opposed, it.':Upon'being put; to ./the audience and then ..'to members of ,the' society,1, the motion ,'Vas carried by.~ .'ah overwhelming "majority. '„'.'■ : ', ::V At .the conclusion,.of the debate,.|Mr;' G. Mitchell commented upon'the style ■ ..of the various/speakers, placing:the ; first three in the" following order:—Messrs. Rogers, Pope, Davidson.