OCEAN COMMAND.

Northern Advocate, 1 February 1921, Page 5

OCEAN COMMAND.

i A COMMERCIAL ESSENTIAL. (Received 12.10 p.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. iSpeaking at the Australian Natives' Association annual banquet Admiral Grant dealt wilth 'the controversy between the supporters of big ships on one hand and submarines on the It was a very attractive policy, h ,; said, to choose the apparently cheap article when considering the question of defence, hut he asked ithe support* ers of submarines and airships to take into account the amount required 'to keep Australia's coastline of over 12,000 miles secure toy these means. One vital point was always forgotten, and that was the moat important one of protection of trade. Any country which depended on export trade for its wealth and prosperity, and on import trade essentials for industry must never lose command of th e seas - and small ships each | had their functions, and in his op:-

inon the time had not come when any one or two of these classes could successfully compete against a combination of all others.—A. and N.Z.