THE SINGAPORE BASE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 1 September 1923, Page 7

THE SINGAPORE BASE

DOMINIONS’ ATTITUDE

(By Archibald Hurd in tho Daily Telegraph.)

The minds of tho peoplo of Australia and New Zealand, as well as elsewhere, may be unnecessarily unsettled by tho criticisms of tho proposal to convert Singapore into a first-class naval base which arc now being made in thus country. It has been suggested that the development is being undertaken with the insidious purpose of suggesting to the .people of these dominions that they need battleships, and, therefore, inferentially, that they should build them. It is not sufficiently well known that under the Washington Naval Treaty all the British dominions have agreed not to build anv capita! 'ships during- the—;.“naval holiday.” In those circumstances, therefore, it must be apparent that the Admiralty entertains no design of tempting the dominions to embark on the construction of capital ships. It has also been suggested that the Singapore scheme has been put forward without sufficient consideration, and that it has behind it little expert authority. In point of fact, the proposal was examined three years ago by tho Committee of Imperial Defence, on which not only the Naval Staff, but the General Staff of the Army, as well as the Air Staff, arc represented; and it was approved by that body after the most thorough consideration. It was in the light, of that decision that the Cabinet, under.Mr Lloyd George, agreed to the scheme. The matter was afterwards considered by the Imperial Conference, and, in view of the attitudo which the dominions had from the first adopted, it was no matter of surprise that the Conference endorsed the proposal. When Mv Bonar Law became Prime Minister the plans wore again examined by the Committee of Imperial Defence, and, having been once more approved bv them, were accepted by the new Cabinet. It was consequently with the support of tho most authoritative opinion in this country that the approval of the House of Commons was sought and given. The assumption that a naval base at Singapore is necessary rests upon one main ground. The battleship will continue to he the centre. around which fighting fleets lui future -will be built- up. On that issue there is no difference of opinion among the responsible expert authorities, either in this country, the United States, or Japan. -The matter has been repeatedly investigated, and always with the same result. Until a first-class naval base is developed at, Singapore —thero is nowhere else where one could he provided under the Washington Treaty which would satisfy naval strategists—battleships cannot be despatched t-o, and maintained in the Pacific. However grave tlie situation which might develop m these waters at any future time, the British Navy would he debarred from exercising any such influence on events as it has exercised in the past, before capital ships had reached their present large dimensions, which have been further exaggerated owing to the necessity of providing them with “bulges” against submarine attack. _