NAVAL DEFENCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 48, 25 January 1939, Page 11

NAVAL DEFENCE

EXPANSION ADVOCATED, EARL BEATTY’S VIEAVS. Ter Press Association. AUCKLAND, Jan. 24. “The completion of the Singapore Base has strengthened your position, but you should not bo satisfied till you have got more ships and proper defence for your bases,” said Earl Beatty, chairman of the Navy League in England, in making an earnest plea lo a large gathering of league members lor more propaganda throughout the Empire on behalf of a strong Navy.

“I do not disparage the Air Force with which the the Navy works hand in hand,” he added, “but the integrity of the .Empire must always depend on the Navy, no matter how strong the Air Force may become.” It should not be imagined, said Earl Beatty, that, because the days of disarmament were over, the work of the Navy League was also at an end. On the contrary, it had an even greater task than when, within the past 15 years, it had tried to prevent unilateral disarmament by Britain. “AVe have got to see that rearmament is continued and that the British Empire ns a whole is brought up to proper strength,” Earl Beatty went on. “Wo must sec that our diplomacy is not handicapped as it has been very recently. Perhaps we should not have come out of the late crisis with the loss of prestige which we obviously have suffered if our lighting forces had been up to the strength they should havo had.

“Though 1 may appear to criticise. J wish to pay tribute to Mr Chamberlain for what lie did. His critics assume that the dictators were bluffing but there is no shred of evidence to show that they were. The Empire was fortunate in having him to struggle as lie did struggle to keep peace at that, time.” Afore propaganda was necessary because the British people were not sufficiently worked up to the necessity for building up fighting forces to the proper degree of strength, continued tlio speaker. His present voyage had brought homo to him more than over the weakness of Britain in this part of the world. Not only the Old Country was dependent for survival upon the defence of British trade routes; it was equally important for New Zealand. Great Britain was the largest, importer of her goods, and any interruption of trade would hit the Dominion hard.

“I seo that there is propaganda here for an increase in the Air Force,” remarked Earl Beatty. “Admirable as that is, it is your duty to sec that the public is sufficiently educated not to forget the Navy.”

FEWER SHIPS. The need for a stronger mercantile marine was shown by the fact that there were under the British flag over 1000 fewer ships than at the outbreak of the Great Avar. In that period Britain had been brought nearly to her knees by German submarines. It was sad to think that to-day she had hv comparison so few merchant ships because in war numbers counted, not size.

British mercantile tonnage had decreased by 1,5)00,000, while foreign tonnage had increased by 20,000,000. It was for the Navy League to see that this was brought homo to all, and to do everything possible to ensure that Empire Governments should help a service that was vital to security. Earl Beatty went on to speak of the great efforts being made in Britain to increase the sea cadet corps, which was training the country’s youth and teaching them that service was the best expression of patriotism. He felt that New Zealand could do much in the same way. He sincerely hoped a sea cadet corps would l>e started in Auckland and that before long there would l>e a string of such corps all round the New Zealand coast.