PROBLEMS OF PACIFIC.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 December 1924, Page 7

PROBLEMS OF PACIFIC.

: NEED FOR FLOATING DOCK. SINGAPORE 3030 MILES AWAY. _ r , LONDON, Dec. 9. ' , a Llonel Clark, of Messrs. Clark 'and Stanfield, builders of: the great Southampton floating dock, wlio will leave for Australia and. New Zealand pn December 19, when interviewed, said, he was going to New Zealand to see- ,-hist. relatives. •-» • - ... He hoped to spend some time. inAustralia visiting the dockyards; He is taking out a. film showing the Prince •] a l )eil * n g the Southainfpton Mr. W. S. Robinson, who is accompanymg Sir- Robert- Horne- to Burma, will join Mr. Clark at Ceylon, and they will travel to Australia together. “Even if Britain builds a graving dock - -at Singapore -it -wi 11' mot settle Australia’s problem;-”- said Mr Clark. /Singapore i 5.3000 miles away. If Australia, builds ah floating- dock - she has the necessary equipment fpr com-mercial-purposes, -while in- the'-event of an outbreak of- hostilities'she-has the nucleus for* a-'floating base which can - be> -established ' in • the - most suitable - - posi fcion- • wi-thi n ; a - few' weeks. '■ - --The --more'complic-atech.ships - become the more necessary*, is w base.- -No modern, ship- can cany sufficient tools or.; works, torepair .-her '-delicate mechanism/; . .. Discussing... the .. positi on * in the Pacific, Mr. Clarke ..said : ‘-The-. Marshall Islands, which -'-are included ; ,in , ; the Japanese //mandate, ,are~.4Qo miles,from;,-Nauru.-, .They are said to ;co;itain,. a;rwonderful ■ lagoon which can, accommodate .any. navy.. - “By . the. ■-'Washington / agreement these ~islands are'-, not-fortified, hut what is. to;prevent - Japan -from having /ift floating.:• base,:; which*.could -be towed there within- a; couple of - weeks/: No ships call •at these island®. Nobody. knows what , mo,- their, possibilities. ! - / . ..... ~,-/' ~/

“J-stfougly believe the floating base will .play ah r inipprtaiit,.part in any.war in ,the .Pacific.-. . .Dock.w .are the only, part of such a base,-;which- require any considerable time to build.”