NAVY LEAGUE'S IDEALS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 29, 3 August 1926, Page 13

NAVY LEAGUE'S IDEALS

A UNIVERSITY DEBATE.

The Victoria. University College Debating Soci?ty pa Saturday evening in the Concert Chamber, Town Hall, debated the question "That the Ideals ■of the Navy League are to be Approved." Mr. W. P. Kollings, chairman of the' College Debating Society, presided. The Hon. J. A. Young, Minister of Health, acted" as judge. Opening the case for the afiormatiye, Mr. W. J. Heyting said the two chief desires of the British nation were liberty and peace. Idealists were apt to propound schemes quite unfounded, in fact, schemes which in consequence lost much of their value. He showed that the upkeep of the Navy was small compared with, the cost of war. .

Mr. C." G. R. Jones replied that of all countries Britain could most easily disarm, owing to the safety "afforded by its wide trading. connections. He questioned the wisdom of the doctrine "Britannia Rules the Waves."

Mr. R. Darroch, secretary of the Wellington branch of the Navy League, briefly sketched the history of the league, and pointed out that it was in favour of reduction of armaments as long as it was reasonably carried out. It had been claimed by leaders of the League of Nations that the aims of the Navy League ■were complementary to the ideals of the League of Nations.

Seconding the negative side of the question, Mr. P. J. O'Regan contended that the Navy League was opposed to the ideals of the League of Nation* Union. "

Several other speakers took part in the debate, and the judge placed the representatives of the College Debating Society in the following order of merit:—Mr. Heyting, Miss Cooley, Messrs. James", O*Halloran, de Montalk, and Hurley.