Cheering Crowds At Civic Reception

Northern Advocate, 2 April 1946, Page 2

Cheering Crowds At Civic Reception

(P.A.> WELLINGTON. This Day] Cheering crowds unable to gain ad- j mission greeted Admiral and Lady Louis Mountbatten as they arrived at I the Wellington Town Hall for a civic j reception last night. The Mayor (Mr W. Appleton) said Admiral Mountbatten had captured the imagination of the people of the British Empire as the living embodiment of great Englishmen of history. "While we gain inspiration from the past." he said, "it is good that we hould find the same ideals and ability in the leaders of the present." The Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) asked the guests to convey to the King and Queen New Zealand's sincere wish that, now the war was over and they were contemplating visiting South Africa, they would also come to the Dominion. Lord Mountbatten recalled his earlier visit to New Zealand on the staff of Ihe Prince of Wales almost 26 years ago. "I was only 19 then." he said, "but those 24 days have always lived in my mind. I know now why they were so happy. It was because we were living with warm-hearted, friendly, hospitable people.” LIKE COMING HOME When his wife visited New Zealand 11 years ago she received the same impression. They were both determined that if ever they had a chance they would return. Now it was just like coming back home. Admiral Mountbatten said he would convey the Prime Minister's message to the King and Queen. lie knew they would need no urging because of their happy memories of their previous trip to New Zealand. The influence of the atom bomb on the future’design of naval ships was briefly discussed by Admiral Mountbatten in reply to an inquiry at a press conference. He said there would undoubtedly be great changes in design, but thesa must be left to the scientists and the naval architects to work out. "Yes. I certainly do." said Lord Louis when asked if he expected any fundamental changes would be necessary in the design of the ships as a result of the atom bomb.

The actual changes, he added, were difficult to forecast, because they must be the result of experiment.

CARRIERS’ IMPORTANCE

ft was obvious, however, that it would be necessary to redesign ships if they were to withstand "the concussion one assumed would be caused by the explosion of an atom bomb. All these things would come out as a result of scientific inquiry. The opinion that the most important ship at the end of th e war was the aircraft-carrier, was expressed by Lord Louis, who added that it was the unit around which the (ask forces were built. Cruisers' were required to balance the task forces. He thought that New Zealand had done right in taking the improved Dido class cruisers to replace the cruisers Achilles and Gambia. FUTURE OF SINGAPORE "I do not think it would "Se proper for me to express views on the future of Singapore at this moment, because thy question is in the melting pofi" said Lord Louis in reply to another question. "I know that it is being discussed in London at present, and I fake it that it. will also be discussed at the coming conference of Empire Prime Ministers. I think that if I gave any expression of views before tin's conference it would be mistimed." Ihe important contribution tne Burma campaign had made tc the victory of the United Nations it. the East and the Pacific was referred to by the visitor, who said that what had'been done had nut been properly appreciated. It was due. he felt, to a lack of comprehension of what had actually occurred. Lady Mountbatten. who was present at the press conference, remarked (hat, having just come from England, she could say I hat v hat had been accomplished in Burma was now being comprehended by the people at Home. The explanation of this was that some of the war leaders were now gelling back to the United Kingdom, and as a result of addresses by them the ordinary members of the public were understanding for the first time what had actually happened.

NEW METHODS

Lord Mountbatten said that if one could not carry out a campaign in a common-sense way and conduct it on an amphibious scale, then the thing to do was not to give up, but to try a new techniquqe. as had been done in Burma.

By bringing in supplies by air from the north a completely new technique in warfare had been adopted. Less than 5 per cent of the army requirements had come into Burma by mean;- other than the air. Had it been possible lie would have preferred to take Burma by an amphibious operation.

It had been stated by Ihc Japanese commander that he had lost 200.000 killed in Burma, and Lord Louis said tie did not know of any other campaign where so many had been killed.

Although hostilities with Japan came to an end early in September, the Allied forces in Burma could not have failed to just waltz through the Japanese, and they now knew that they would have had Singapore before t'nc end of September. Lady Mountbatten said that the universal feeling of Japanese she had met was that Japan lost the war because of the campaign in Burma and not because of the atom bomb. JAP REVIVAL? “That depends on what is done with her.” said Lord Louis, replying to an inquiry whether he thought Japan had any hope of military revival. “She will have every hope, as Germany had, if she is given the help Germany was given after the First World War." Asked about the food situation in the East, Lord Louis said there was a 30 per cent, shortage of rice. The Japanese had requisitioned all the rice without payment and had slaughtered all the plough cattle for eating, while the Allied bombing had disrupted internal communications. There was, therefore, far less production and what there was was difficult to distribute. Those who held rice would not disgorge it for money, but wanted such things as piece goods and textiles in return.