GOING ON EXCHANGE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 119, 23 May 1933, Page 6

GOING ON EXCHANGE

H.M.A.S. AUSTRALIA FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN Important announcements concerning Australia's new defence policy, will shortly'be made when the1 Federal Government has given full consideration to the elaborate plan of reorganisation which has been approved by the Minister of Defence (Senator Sir G. Pearce) for submission to Cabinet, says tho Melbourne "Age." The development of tho Eoyal Australian Navy is a feature of primary importance in the Imperial defence scheme of things, and it is announced in responsible circles at the Defence Department that negotiations havo been practically completed for the sending of H.H.A.S. Australia to join the Mediterranean fleet of the Eoyal Navy on exchange duty. This was forecast in "The Age," and siuco then the negotiations have nearcd a successful conclusion. Thcrtimo tentatively fixed for the . departure of H.M.A.S. Australia is about the middle of November, and all that, remains now is for the Admiralty to announce what cruiser of the Koyal Navy shall be attached to the Australian station. Tho cost to the Commonwealth of sending ono of our cruisers on this exchango duty is estimated at £50,000. This amount is much larger than it would havo been three years ago, when tho exchange system was temporarily suspended by the. Scujlin Administration purely on grounds of economy. The increased rate of exchange has ' made tic cost greater; but.so adamant iv their support of the exchange system have been the naval, experts in Australia that tho dispatching of this cruiser has been decided on as the first step in naval advancement. When the exchange system was suspended the Admiralty had made complcto arrangements for tho sending to the Australian station of H.M.S. Shropshire, a cruiser of similar typo to the Australia. Since then the smaller type of cruiser has beeu developed with striking success by tho Admiralty, and it has been suggested that there is a. likelihood of a ( cruiser of the latest type, namely, the Lcander class, coming to the Australian station. The Lcander class is composed of the 7000 tonners, and ono of this class would be regarded as a great boon to the strength of the Australian station. When H.M.A.S. Australia leavfes on her exchange duty she will retain her identity as. a unit-of the Royal Australian navy, being, maimed and nianu tamed by members of the B.A.N. At present her complement is about COO. She will be absent from Australian waters for one year, after which she will return to the Australian station, and the exchange cruiser from the Boyal Navy will also return. Another matter which is engaging the attention of tho naval authorities is tha replacement of one of Australia's two cruisers, H.M.A.S. Brisbane and Adelaide, both of which aTe on the reserve list. According to her commitments the Commonwealth is one cruiser short, and, as was stated some time ago in these columnsj there is a likelihood of another cruiser of the Eoyal Navy being sent to the Australian station to fill the placo of one of those cruisers at present on the reserve list. However, nothing definito has been arranged in this connection, and it is unlikely that anything will be dono-until after June.