EMPIRE DEFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 10, 13 January 1939, Page 8

EMPIRE DEFENCE

WORLD-WIDE SYSTEM

TALK BY SIR THOMAS INSKIP

(By Air Mail, from "The Post's" London Representative.)

LONDON, December 15,

The British Empire's system of world-wide defence, of which too little notice was taken in estimating its security, was referred to by Sir Thomas Inskip, Minister for Co-ordination of Defence, when he spoke at the annual meeting of the British Empire League. The Duke of Devonshire, Under-Secre-tary for the Dominions, presided. "We are completing our defences both at home and in other parts of the Empire," said Sir Thomas, "so that no longer may it be necessary for us to refrain from appropriate action; that no longer may our Foreign Secretary or our Prime Minister in this or any other country, be hampered by consideration of weakness or default on our part." Sir Thomas said that there could be no Empire unity without adequate Empire defence. The trend of events in the economic world —the growth of competition in the export trade, the invasion of British foreign markets, the expansion of shipbuilding activities, and the establishment of barriers —emphasised the vital importance of adequate defence. The Committee of Imperial Defence was continually surveying the defences of the Empire, and great progress had been made in recent years. Plans had been made for extracting the full value of assistance from colonial territory. SINGAPORE NEARLY READY. Singapore, which had been a long way from completion when Japan first invaded Manchuria, a point to be remembered by critics of Britain over that. incident, was today essential for the defence of Australia and New Zealand, while it was the gateway to the Indian Ocean. Today, the strenuous efforts of the Dominions and many cooperators had resulted in the construction of an efficient naval base, and now only waited the installation of antiaircraft armament and minor air equipment in the coming year. There had been a tremendous improvement in the I Empire's position in the Far East consequent upon the near completion of the base. It was interesting to observe how the subject of defence had lately become an absorbing topic in the politics of all the Dominions. Australia and South Africa had both made important announcements, and New Zealand was no exception, providing for local defence and co-operation in Commonwealth defence. New Zealand was a small country, but nevertheless she was playj ing her full part in the support of the Empire, its defences, and organisation.