“A TOY NAVY”

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 8 March 1935, Page 5

“A TOY NAVY”

WHY NOT SEND IT HOME?

ENGLISH VISITOR’S OPINIONS

“I’ll tell you how to save some money. Why not send your toy navy Home?” This was a remark of Air Charles H. Roberts, of Selkirk, Scotland, in discussing taxation in New Zealand. “It seems, to ,ine,”_.he added, “that the only, use the navy serves is a social one, going from port lo port.” . . • Mr Roberts is a New Zealander by birth, a soil of the late Sir John Roberts, who was one of the principals of the AloSgiel Woollen Mills for many years. Mr Roberts has spent the last /forty years in Scotland and is the 'principal of the firm of George Roberts and Co., woollen manufacturers. Accompanied by Airs Roberts, lie is now visiting Christchurch Tn the course of a holiday tour of the Dominion. Air Roberts said that New Zealand could save half a million pounds «i year by giving up her navy. Of what use would the present navy be in times of emergency? “A ou probably like to think you have a navy,” he said, “but after all is it worth it?”

AERIAL DEFENCE Aerial defence seemed to be the most suitable for New Zealand. An opposing navy would not appear above the horizon, but send over squadrons of aircraft that would wipe out any city. In any ovent, the present navy was not sufficient to cope with a hostile fleet of any proportions. Mr Roberts was a non-commission-ed officer in the London anti-aircraft forces during the war, and saw three year’s service. Anyone uho had experienced such service, he said, would realise the impossibility of anti-air-craft guns stopping hostile machines coming over. PROBLEMS OF THE DAY The world faced three problems today, said Mr Roberts —currency, tariffs and quotas. “Quotas,!’ he added, “are the most wicked things ever invented. Aly own impression is that the nations of the world will eventually have to confer on currency and tariffs questions. • Until then there will be no basis for mutual understanding.

“It is ridiculous, that two countries dg New Zealand and Austialm cannot agree on the subject of oranges and potatoes, each with an embargo on the other. When two countries cannot agree on such a trivial matter, compared with, most of the world’s present jiroblems, what chance is there

for the nations of the world to reach an understanding?”

It rested with the nations now to think internationally instead of nationally. If every nation thought only of itself there would be no hope of the settlement of the problems that confronted the world to-day.