EMPIRE’S NAVY

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 December 1925, Page 5

EMPIRE’S NAVY

EARL JELLICOE’S PROPOSALS

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.)

LONDON, December. 1.

In an article in “Brassey’s Naval Annual,” Earl Jellicoe calls the attention of the people of the Empire to the urgent need for co-operation, firstly in deciding' upon, and secondly in carrying out, the naval policy. Earl Jellicoe says: “Heavy taxation serious decrease in trade, and maintenance' .of numerous unemployed have seriously crippled the finances of the Motherland, and there is littlte doubt if more help is not forthcoming from the Dominions, the navy will slowly and surely become inadequate for its work.” He appeals to the Dominions to face the situation and assist the Motherland, each portion of th'e Empire sharing the burden in proportion to its population. Earl Jellicoe, assuming that for the next few years, sixty-hine millions sterling annually will be needed for the Imperial navy,' suggests that Australia New Zealand, Canada and South Africa’s white population should contribute in kind at the rate, of seventeen shillings per head, the figures working out: Australia £4,800,000; New Zealand £850,000; Canada £7,200,000, South Africa £850,000, India' £850,000. He contends that for these sums the Dominions could maintain the following. approximate . naval strength, and a simultaneous building programme: Australia, three 10,000-ton cruisers in full' commission and one similar cruisef in res’ervg, 6n'e aircfa'ft carrier in full commission and auxiliary patrol vessels. New Zealand, two D class light cruisers in full commission, one in reserve. Canada could afford to extend the programme, to an amount even exceeding considerably the Australian naval forces, and would doubtless provide one dr two additional cruisers, six to nine submarines, and possibly an air craft carrier or naval airship. South Africa would probably maintain two ten thousand-ton cruisers or three Smaller vessels.