NAVAL POLICY CRITICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18533, 18 October 1923, Page 9

NAVAL POLICY CRITICS.

SINGAPORE BASE OPPOSED.

AUSTRALIA'S BEST DEFENCE.

SUBMARINE AND AIRCRAFT.

By Telegraph—Press Association— A. and N.Z. LONDON. Oct. 16. Admiral Sir Percy Scott, addressing the Australian Natives' Association, denounced the building of battleships. He condemned the proposed naval base at Singapore as useless to Australia, which, he declared, was easily able to protect itself by means of submarines and aeroplanes. Sir Percy Scott announced that Franco had finally determined to discontinue the building of . battleships. Admiral Mark Kerr, speaking on the result of war experience while in command of a fleet in the Adriatic, said the Austrian ships were powerless against submarines, which prevented them from leaving port. Experience in the Pacific would probably bo similar in a future war.

The expenditure of £20,000,000 on a base at Singapore was futile, because if battleships ever succeeded , in getting there, which was doubtful, they would certainly never get out again.

In any attempt for the defence of Australia or New Zealand, or any of our other Pacific possessions, the line of defence was obviously aeroplanes, submarines, and torpedo boats, against which no hostile fleet would dare approach within 200 miles.