DEFENCE OF THE BLUFF.

Evening Star, Issue 14572, 22 May 1911, Page 7

DEFENCE OF THE BLUFF.

GENERAL GODLEY’S ADVICE

[Special to the Star.]

BLUFF, May 22,

General God ley, accompanied by Colonel Smyth and Captain Smith, visited the Bluff on Sunday morning upon an official visit of inspection. The Commandant was mot bv the Mayor (Captain E. A. Nichol) and bli© members of the Campbolltown Borough Council. The Mayor said that tho General would be pleased to learn that the residents of the Bluff were keen and enthusiastic supporters of the compulsory military training scheme. Registration had been proceeding satisfactorily, and there were not a great many men still to register. In touching upon the Bluff’s peculiarly defenceless position at present ho said that the Bluff Harbor was regarded as one of the best in the South Island, and was able to accommcda o vessels of the largest type, such as tnc Alhenic, Corinthic, lonic, and others. At the time of Lord Kitchener's visit the Bluff was the first port of call, and H.M.S. Encounter steamed up the harbor vhheffi bothering, about tides, landed Lord Kitchener. and immediately steamed out again. Tho Bluff was at present wholly undefended. At Port I’ega.-T.s and Paterson’s Inlet (Stewart Eland) there wore anchorages callable of accommodating the largest fleet, and at the same time make them immune from the efforts of any fleet endeavoring to find them. Paterson’s Inlet was only an hour and a-half’s steam from the Bluff, and a foreign nation could in time of war make the inlet their base, and within an hour and a-half be steaming up the Bluff s unprotected harbor. The Bluff was in railway communication with tlio other centres of tho South Island, and would shortly possess a wireless telegraphic station. Then, should tho enemy require provisions, there was the Bluff Freezing Works, cortainlng up to 100,000 carcasses of mutton, besides beef, rabbits, and fish; and should that not prove sufficient there was tho same quantity available in the Ocean Beach Works, only a couple of miles away, the equivalent altogether of about 250,000 carcasses of mutton. Furthermore, as tho Bluff was a shipping port of agricultural produce, like Southland, there was always a largo quantity of oats, wheat, potatoes, etc., stored iii town, and the quantity frequently reached from 2&0.000 to 300,000 sacks. It would be seen, therefore, that the Bluff as an unprotected port offered a big opportunity to any enemy. Ho trusted that General God ley would nut regard it as presumption on their part to draw his attention thereto.

General Godley: On the contrary. I am very glad you have dime to. Continuing, tho Commandant said he had come to the Bluff to inquire into the very matter the mayor had pointed out, and wishing to see for himself the harbor and alto Stewart Island, in ordpr to obtain a good idea of their possibilities one way or the other. Ho quite realised the importance of the harbor, and would make representations to the Government to have the- port properly defended should it be found necessary. He would like to say at once, however, that to his mind tho best form of defence was a mobile defence, which ho considered much better than fixed sites. They might select sites for guns, and spend thousands of pounds, and then experience a lengthy delay in the gun® coming to hand, and when finally installed find that they were then obsolete and of little use. He wanted a strong company of infantry, who could shoot well and move quickly, and so meet the oncmv at whatever place they might bo endeavoring to land. The fact that tho Encounter and other warships had come up tho Bluff Harbor did not necessarily mean that an enemy's fleet would risk entering unknown and perhaps dangerous channels. In any caeo. were I here a mobile force at the Bluff such vessels would be met by the fire of tho Southland Battalion Infantry and Artillery. Receiving such a warm reception, there would i.e little chance of their doing the Blutf any harm. Tho Bluff might somo day have a powerful garrison stationed there, but that was speaking of the future. In the meantime tiio Bluff should devote its best endeavors to obtaining a good mobile defence. The General concluded by stating that the Bluff would probably be a base for some defence manoeuvres at no distant date.

General Godley and party voyaged in the tug Theresa Ward to Stewart Island, and there spent the day in their official capacity, returning to Invercargill in the evening*.