SINGAPORE BASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18457, 21 July 1923, Page 9

SINGAPORE BASE.

l\ EMPIRE SECURITY. I SPIRIT OF THE TREATY. DENIAL OF VIOLATION. NO MENACE TO PEACE. DEBATE IN THE COMMONS, £iy Telegraph—Press Association Copyright. (Received. 9.25 p.m.) . A. Mid N.Z. LONDON. July 19. In the House of Commons', in Committee hi Supply on the Naval Estimates, Mr. keorge Lambert, Liberal member for the pouth Moulton division of Devonshire, Kho was Civil Lord of the Admiralty from 1905 to 1915, moved to reduce the (rote as a protest against the construction if, the Singapore base. He complained hat fche proposal did not mention. the Kiat the proposal did not mention the f&shington Conference. The very basis such a treaty must be confidence and goodwill; concealment in these matters Was inconsistent with the best traditions |>f British statesmanship. If we proceeded With the base, we should be leading in a , pew armaments race. The base was necesfsjy . only in contemplation of war with Japan, if this were contemplated, why did wo sign the Washington Treaty ? It was inconceivable that the British Grand Fleet could be sent 10.000 miles to Singapore to destroy the Japanese fleet. The whole thing was » "piece of woolly thinking." * ■ The motion was rejected by 217 votes to 130. Aircraft and Battleships. Commander C.' D. Burney, Conservative member of the "Oxbridge division of Middlesex, said the Singapore base was not a violation of the spirit or the letter of the Washington Treaty. Ho believed p, combination of airship and aeroplane would eventually eliminate the flossting battleship. However, Singapore was vital to the defence of Australia and Britain's Eastern trade. The Opposition was gambling with the fate of the Empire.Major T. W. Hay, Conservative member for the South division of Norfolk, said it would require 2000 artillerymen and 2000 infantry to protect Singapore on the land side. Colonel J". T. C. Moore-Brabazon, Conservative member' for Chatham division of Bochfisteiy declared that the Singapore scheme, concerned the Empire more than England. Ho suggested that they should not commit 'he country before the question was considered by the Imperial Conference, • / CoramsJider J. M. Kenworthy, Independent Liberal for Hull, Central, said he considered that, if there was danger of war with japan a generation hence, Singapore would be the most important strategical point in the world, but the proposed policy would lead to the expenditure" of £50,000,000. Was the country . prepared to face that? Sir Frederick Banbury, Conservative member for the City of London, said that so long as human nature was as it was there would be* wars and rumours of wars. The only security was preparedness. Sailor's Reply to Objections. Admiral Sir Guy Gaunt, Conservative member- for Buckrose, in a breezy, sailorlike, .way, swept aside the objections, saying "Yon must keep in,touch with the extremities of your Empire, and for goodness* sake, be prepared for war. 'If you want to run an Empire, you must nave a base somewhere, and there is no place better than Singapore." "Viscount CurzOn, Conservative member for Battersea South, rejected the suggestion that Singapore was a threat to Japan, which was • six • and a-half days' steam away. Distances in the Pacific were] terrific, both in Australia and New Zealand. The Singapore base was ardently desired. Viscount Curzon said: "Surely this country, when Australia appeals for help, will hot- say to her, 'We are very sorry yon are in danger; we know, but •we cannot come to your assistance.' " Mr C. W. Darbyshire, Liberal member for tie 'Westbniy division lof Wiltshire, objected to the policy because it was ag- • gressive, and, would make, war ineyitablo in the future, r \: Sir A. Shirley Benn, Conservative member for the Drake division of Plymouth, 6*id the Japanese had far more sense than to think a. naval base 3000 miles from their. shores was part of preparation to attack them.' .'.".." 'Commander Bellairs, Conservative member for Maidstono, said successive Committees of Imperial Defence had been convinced that Singapore was * vital necessity ' Without it we might have to abandon the whole Empire, also our interests in the Far East. ' • Lady Aster, Conservative member • for the Sutton division of Plymouth, said she hoped that, even now the Admiralty could .agree to postpone the final Singapore dorision until the Imperial Conference If the conference agreed, there could not be a voice raised against the proposal. Captain Wedgwood Benn, Liberal member for.Leith, said that Britain was the • mo»t heavily taxed of all the signatories to the Washington Treaty, and she was - the first to embark on expenditure which was' an infringement of the spirit of that treaty. • Help for the Dominions. The reply to the debate Lieut-Colonel " L C. Is. Amery, First Lord of the -.Admiralty, repudiated the * h * x %*™ the Singapore base would be a violat on of the Washington Treaty Britain led the world in fulfilment of the Treaty-It was perfectly clear that Singapore was outside the zone of non-action Ih Japanese, before and since the conference,, had been engaged on a policy of doc* . yard and naval base extension, on which they were spending large sums. Ihej said nothing about it at the J-**"** Japan in tie present year was spending . £5f,000,000 on naval bases. *«*»*•£ the east side was strengthening the fort! ficaSions. These operations had no offensive object. As a matter of fact it was their object to establish zones neutralrty in the Pacific and ate.the nations by such .distances that they could not act offensively against eaC * other. 'The only reason the Government considered this base was because the capita ship of to-day was very r different from that of pre-war days. It was difficult to protect such craft from attacks of suomarines, therefore it was necessary to have a graving dock large enough to iioia these ships in P?vcis3c waters. , . „ "If we had any aggressive designs asrainst the . Japanese," comtnueo Colonel Amery, "we should never have proposed a scheme _ under which we would be deprived at the use of Hongkong, where we already had a has.}. The distance from Yokohama to Singapore is the same as from Gibraltar to New York. If we were to put an additional dock at Gibraltar, could it "be said! we had menacing designs on America?. We . cannot expect the ■ Dowinions to help defend the Empire unless •we are able to help them. There is no reason wny the estimated total cost of .£lO 500,000 should be exceeded »*. • The cioanra was earned by 224 votes .(bis