VICE-ADMIRAL FIELD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18706, 12 May 1924, Page 10

VICE-ADMIRAL FIELD.

,THE MAN AM.HIS POLICY. ADVANTAGES: OF AUCKLAND. FINE 'TRAINING SCHOOL. DOMINION'S NAYAL DEFENCE Vice-Admiral Sir : Frederick Field is a ruler among men. ■- This - every man .who comes within his range feek at once and ■ > ■ is proud of the! feeling. V With., him duty is first, last and supreme. ;.. . \, ' But, like Quisante, "he has his mo-; ments." ~ In these the mood is boyish, simple ■ and direct, as r is. the way "with ' real sailors. He enjoys, clever mysteries and magic, and; knows a great deal, too, • about mathematics. ■' V"'T' '';"* ; ". ," >*" V ladeed, tit is said that the admiral is a juggler and v a very good one. But ; one would have to know him very w ell to be taught his best .tricks. He would ■'.;..- : ":most certainly teach them to "children, with "whom \aty once he is- a comrade '• And they I know a man. -~ '• '".'"* i But the supreme commander : of the Special Service Squadron fas: an envoy: .of i : Empire does not con jure with the problems #f; high naval policy, or with the .■•■';'•• manifold responsibih'ties of . his .'arduous post. £■ The thing's an order. . It must •'•/•• be done. :"v "You may lay to ; that.." That's the man. * ' . " On Saturday evening the admiral- re- ■'.':'•': ceived 1 a party of pressmen - in his homely quarters in l the Hood. It is - not impei, tinence to mention that he .easily "Cinquevallied''.;» political controversial '" questions.," Every time- it" was" the var ishin trick. - 4 A pleasant ■- smile, ; a I well turned • phrase, and another i., matteri ot: : politics had disappeared. -,' .i Thus, was de • monstrated, the. great luck of many;pecu , • liar politicians the British Empire vj ■ In the pauses one noticed that the j "• ''genial sailor, as' an ardent .'golfer oil occasions, has « fine wrists for driving. Of ■ '•••' course, one?;of them-bears the inevitable tatoo mark of the born seafarer. But, •- >'- the dominating feature of his ;personalty ■'"'"■""■ is the clearness of his vision. He has: • the ; straight-at-you g look. ■ ; There vis much' ■ advantage in having searched; the .■'■ tumbling North Sea without blinking for hostile silhouettes on a grey horizon., - And what an eye for ■ topography and ■'■"'•■-'. potentialities C* >- , - •"-.,--, ' '• '■. ■ "I always think," said , the vice- ■ admiral, "that deep and narrow barhours are more effective t/nan wide, water- '• '. ways. ; One gets nearer to the people at once : ; and gains first impressions in true perspec \ tive. This made our welcome ; this. ; morning ■ very wonderful.. 'What struck ; me at once, when I saw '"the splendid- display of small r craft scooting and sailing about the harbour, was : ; that : here you have a great ; number of 'pefpie' who are taking a keen interest in ' the sea and the life Of sailors. " You must ' have a greats many experts - in the hand , ling of small craft, just the ; men for auxiliary patrol work and the R.N.V.R- ---• Auckland must : be* a fine : training school. '•■''■■ There is nothing like gaining the interest • .of youth. We have a tremendous; seafaring population" at Home, and it is a recog- ! nised thing, that in" the matter of recruit- .''■:' ing for the Navy 95 per cent.' of it is south': of Liverpool. . "Yes, we have West Country men m ■ . -' the Hood; practically all ■-. Cornishmen, men . of •Devon;>and ia good sprinklingi of v Irish- • men." .As' to 'the \ subject -of disarmament and : - limitation of warship construction, as de- ! , -, ' terrained '.by the Washington' Conference, .*•.:; Sir Frederick Field considered that it was ;■ .-'; very necessary in the circumstances to- :■■;'.■. agree to .some .iteration in i' international policy. There .were enormous difficulties • after the ,war; a great burden of interest, and the need of mor.ey.Jor almost^every-' thing. So the prospect of great C ' tion in armaments created a very,difficult ; '. situation. Then British^Government: had welcomed the Washington Treaty ~ ~ /'.We all.thought.it a great help," the admiral added. " At the same time •'■■■ -"-■There were one or two things which to a aiyai 'Jofficer could "not but-seem to he

unbusinesslike- jand even a mistake." He pointed out that new cruisers were limited to 10,000 tons and guns to' Bin. j The Japanese and ; Americans r had started ! to build ;- before Britain, but Britain was beginning to replace its cruisers, practic-1 -ally * all ■ about the same age. We could ! not afford to let" our cruisers become ob-J solete, . but must . gradually • replace \ them. JOn ; the subject :of submarines and airAdmiral Field spoke of thee limitations of both under present conditions. Submarines had a restricted range goner, ally, and "were very expensive, while aeroplanes were still largely fine weather birds. Both, ' however, ; had ';* their uses in naval' defence and 'there would be de- . velopments... .»<_'.- ;. Questioned whether, he would advocate aircraft for 'Auckland If the admiral ) re-; ;plied that local defence was essential. He thought that each cruiser should have aircraft, since it ; was so useful to send up 'planes 7as scouts. A :-i certain number of the small cruisers : working with the main. ' fleet ; would ," be 'replaced..; with ",:,i, aircraft cruisers, because aircraft would do a great deal of reconnaissance work. He 1 briefly discussed the ; lessons and experiences of the war, and the necessity for the protection of trade routes. ; ' '-'v- t * "'.'J Discussing New Zealand's -naval defence in general ■ terms the admiral ,% said £Ms, thought the Dominion should increase its .naval personnel. "intimately," he added, "you will have three cruisers. ' The up- , keep of i a light cruiser is abont £150,000 a:year,,including repairs,.wages arid fuel One'.; feels ; that >: if your \ -, Government is : Ereally'gbing to try. to ; help \ as. more at Home in the matter, of naval defence,^the best -sort -of arrangement would -.'-: be " to increase the personnel of 'the ' New Zea- : ■ land division '- of the Navy. ; The cruisers . ; could ;be manned ■ entirely by;: New Zealand men and petty officers, but it takes a long t time to train senior "";.;. officers. . But you . •an borrow them from us.\ ; Your i officers \ should -be'' in the" common list Jof : the ; - Navy ;i; and .; there \Ai>. no reason ■ why you should not look ■>, forward \to: a ? New - Zea- ' lander in j command of 'i the V British '?' fleet. i ; Australia i has a ..navy ? list of her own, " but is . goiriicr to '? give- it -up as regards ■ ' officers in favour of ; the common list. -.: ':-.'•' :• Vice-Admiral Field, in conclusion, favoured, this ''construction of oil-fuel ; depots in -New Zealand, and : pointed out - that his squadron, had fueled from -oil: supplies at Sydney, and was going to fuel up from an oil steamer,' at Auckland, also ■at " Fiji and Honolulu. Oil reserves ■ of, say, : 10,000 - tons each should .be established ; at ' selected ports. Coaling : stations' must be ! replaced by ; oil-fuel depots. '; ..;■■ •' Vv''-';'"'> SQUALL 'AND SUNBURST. ENTERING THE HARBOUR. ; FIEST GLIMPSE OF THE CITY (By the. Heeald's , Special Representative * on the Hood. - As the Hood entered the Gulf a blind- : "ingrain- squall swept over from the west. Within a few moments the Barrier Islands ; and « the • Coromandel coast ■ were hidden' from view and the sun that had come up i bravely to provide a shining path across the broken' water was obliterated. It was a great disappointment to the: ship's com- ' pany, who had been - looking forward with ■ the liveliest anticipation to. seeing the far- : famed beauties of the Hauraki Gulf and - the, Waitemata Harbour. But this kind ; of weather " was not .unexpected," because a'; strong west ; wind was met after the I ship rounded East Capo. '•; It}; whistled :■ through ' the *; massive upper structure ; and * how?; and again water washed on to \ the • quarter deck.;; .-;,.; : .' -.j- : \ ;s-;.; :: ';; i ';-."'-.;'; , r ; But the-blackness of the west did not prevail. ;;C Squall after squall came, down, :- but between each the . sun shone through '■: and;!when the Hood was irisideATiri;..: a; glorious rainbow, the first of a number, - ■ brightened • the sky. r ,; Off' Barigitbto. beacon, whore the 3 Hood '■ 1 -, .four piercing •■ blasts,' claiming right of way, the sun" ? caught the clay cliffs at Narrow Neck and -the city, partly r< shrouded by smoke • arid .mist; *', made -,'an ', alluring picture. .Above it: the sky. was of a 1 delicate blue I and a bank of white cloud oh the horir, Jontmade a? remarkable setting.■■_"-> •. » -Seaplanes droned overhead: and scurrying i launches hastened toward North Head ■- to I I join»in;the :procession;-; of ; small craft, 31 which created great interest on board.