Stronger Navy Needed for the Pacific

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 160, 10 July 1939, Page 12

Stronger Navy Needed for the Pacific

ONLY SURE DEFENCE Land Forces Useless Without Command of Seas (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, July 7. Loss expenditure on land defence and a great deal more on the navy as the only sure method of defending Australia and New Zealand, and ultimately the British Empire, was suggested by Sir Walter Carpenter, Sydney business man, who passed through Auckland by the •[Mariposa on his return from an extended visit to Great Britain and the Continent. Durmg his absence Sir Walter has closely watched overseas policies as they bear on the present state of world unrest. “What is the use of extensive land defences if you lose control of the sea?” asked Sir Waiter, strongly criticising • Australian appropriations for this purpose. I It was essential that Great Britain. Australia and New Zealand should 1 combine to build a Pacific fleet little less than equal to the Japanese navy, he added. Then peace could be assured. The essential in such a fleet would be about 10 pocket battleships, to be used as raiders, said Sir Walter. Several large battleships could probably be transferred from the Home and Mediterranean fleets, but it would be necessary to build a considerable number of subsidiary craft. Though a great deal of shipbuilding was at present proceeding in Britain, yards were available in which these ships could be laid down. The work was urgent, and should be proceeded with immediately. Sir Walter demonstrated the need for a strong Pacific fleet by referring to recent incidents in China, particularly at Tientsin. While no military alliance existed between Japan and the two Axis Powers, Germany and Italy, events had been so synchronised in th c East and in Europe that it was obvious that a concerted attempt was being made to draw the British Fleet into the Pacific, and thus leave the Mediterranean and other European waters to the mercy of the Italian and German navies. Britain had not fallen for the bait, but. while she had no strong fleet in the Pacific, she would continue to face insults from Japan.