JELLICOE'S TATTOO ON DRAKE'S DRUM

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2312, 3 December 1925, Page 7

JELLICOE'S TATTOO ON DRAKE'S DRUM

Call to Dominions for Naval Assistance NEW ZEALAND'S SHARE WOULD BE £850,000 [By Electric Cable—Copyright.] [A.ust. and N.Z. Cable Association.] LONDON December 1. In an article in Brassey’s “NavfiJ Annual," Lord Jellicoe draws the attention of the people of the Empire to the urgent need for co-operation; In deciding and in carrying out a naval policy. He says that heavy taxation, a serious decrease in trade, and the maintenance of numerous unemployed. have seriously crippled the finances of the Motherland, and there is little doubt if more help is not forthcoming from the Dominions, the Navy slowly but surely will become Inadequate for its work. He appeals to the Dominion to face the situation and assist the Motherland, each portion of the Empire sharing the burden proportionate to its population. Assuming that for the next few years £69,000.000 annually will be needed for the Imperial Navy, he suggests that Australia, New Zealand Canada, and South Africa’s white population contribute in kind at the rate of seventeen shillings per head, which figures out as: Australia £4,800,000, New Zealand £850,000; Canada £7,200,000; South Africa £850,000; Indio £850,000. He contends that for these sums the Dominions could maintain at a later date the following approximate naval strength and simultaneous building programme: Australia, 10,000 ton cruisers in full commission; cne in reserve; four submarines in full commission and two in reserve, one aircraft 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 her programme to an amount even exceeding considerably the Australian naval forces, and, doubtless, provide tor one or two additional cruisers or from six to nine submarines, possibly an aircaft carrier or naval airships South Africa could probably maintain two 10,000 ton cruisers or three smaller vessels.

SURPRISE TO CANADA. PRESENT CONTRIBUTION 36 MILLION DOLLARS. (Received Wednesday, 8.35 p.m.) OTTAWA, December 1. Apropos of the suggestion of Lord Jellicoe that Canada should in addition to other Imperial Naval assist ance, contribute 36 million dollars yearly toward the cost of the Imperial Navy, the records here show an appropriation made by Parliament last session for the upkeep of the Canadian Navy for the present year was 1-1,000,000 dollars. A similar sum was appropriated for the same purpose for the fiscal year 1921-25. “Wo have had no request of any kind from the British Admiralty for any such a contribution, or any suggestion of it,” said the Hon. E. M. MacDonald. Minister o£ National Defence, in commenting on the London dispatch.