THE SINGAPORE BASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20116, 29 November 1928, Page 14

THE SINGAPORE BASE.

A £7,750,000 SCHEME. CONTRACT FOR MAIN WORKS. DETAILS OF THE PROJECT. The British Admiralty recently accepted the tender of Messrs. Sir John Jackson, Ltd., of Westminster, for the construe tion of the new dockyard at Singapore, the contract time for completion being seven vears.

The naval correspondent of (lie Times wrote:—With the letting of the main contract the construction of the Singapore base can now go forward, it may be hoped, without a repetition of tho delays which liavo attended the scheme The award had been expected for some time, as the First Lord announced in his memorandum with the Navy Estimates that tenders were duo in at the end of last. March. Tho preliminary work of clearing the site, preparing for the installation of tho floating dock and so on has occupied longer than was originally expected. In addition, about 1 j years were lost by tho reversal of policy consequent upon the decision of tho Labour Government in 1924 not to go on with the scheme.

It was in June, 1921, that tho Coalition Government decided that the naval base at Singapore should bo developed to meet the needs of a modern fleet. Tho first public announcement on tho matter was. made in the House of Commons on October 27, 1921, by Mr. Lloyd George, then Prime Minister, who said that, for the better security of outlying possessions, certain bases abroad, including thoso in tho Pacific, needed modernising and in some cases extending. Tho Imperial Conference, lie added, had generally agreed with this policy. The First Vote for the Work.

The first sum toward the cost of the work (£160,000) was voted in the Navy Estimates of March, 1923. In the following January the Labour Ministry took oflice and on March 18, 1924, it was an nounced that they had decided not to proceed further with the scheme, on the ground that it "would exercise a most detrimental effect on our general foreign policy,' which was one of international co-operation and of "the creation of con ditions which will make a comprehensive agreement on limitation of armaments pos si I ile."

In June, 1924, there was offered for sale all the plant already there which would deteriorate by keeping. Following the return of Mr. Baldwin's Government to power provision was made in tho Navv Estimates of March, 1925, for the resumption of work. r lhc estimated cost of the base then was £11,000,000, but this has been subsequently reduced to £7,750,000. of which £6,917,000 is for the base itself, £BIO,OOO for machinery, and £23.000 for furniture. The sum for the base includes the provision of a graving dock, at a cost of about a million, and workshops, buildings, railways, roads, water supply and the like. The graving dock will be aide to accommodate tho largest ships afloat. Tho privately owned docks in the south of the island* of Singapore can accommodate vessels up to 850 ft. long, 92ft. wide, and with a draught of 32ft., but they cannot take tho battleships of the Nelson, Royal Sovereign, and Queen Elizabeth types, nor tho battle-cruisers, of the Hood "and Renown types, nor the air-craft-carrier Eagle—l 6of tho principal ships of the fleet. Contributions Toward Cost.

The Government of the Straits Settlemerits presented tho land for the base, 2250 acres for the dockyard, and 597 acres for an aerodrome., and in addition the Government of Hongkong has contributed C 250,000; New Zealand, £1,000,000. ami the Federated Malay States. C 2.000,000. Australia contemplated making a contribution, but when the post ponement occurred in 1924 she applied the money instead to tho rebuilding of her fleet unit.

The design of tho works now being contracted for has been supervised bv Mr. L. H. Savile, C. 8., Civil Kngineer-in-Chief at the Admiralty. In deciding on the engineering features of the scheme he has consulted the firms of Messrs. ('node, Fitzmaurice. Wilson and Milchell, and Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners. Full advantage is being taken of the natural features of the site, both with regard to securing an economical layout, and providing for any future developments which may become necessary.

The new works will be ori the south side of what is called the Old Strait, north of tho island, and some 12 miles across country from the existing Singapore commercial docks. It will have a frontage of about six miles. Until recently the traffic of tho Federated Malay States railway had to be ferried across this strait, but the opening of the stone causeway now connects the town of Singapore and the Tanjong Fa gar docks to the general railway system of the country. The building of this causeway has converted the eastern portion of the strait into an ideal harbour, in which ships can find sheltered waters with no disturbing currents to prevent them from making full use of tho facilities offered by the n»w establishment when ready. The Large Floating Dock.

Entering this harbour from the east the largo floating dock, which has made suck a satisfactory passago from England, will be placed a few miles up, with a small basin abreast of it, in which stoieships and the like can be berthed alongside a wharf and unload their cargoes into "goflowns," until the stores arc required by the dockyard or fleet. Beyond this "basin will bo the dockyard proper. Outside the entrance to the graving dock will be a wharf at which -vessels can remain afloat at all states of the tide wlnie repairs which do not necessitate (locking are carried out The dockyard will have its own electin generating station, workshops, foundry, cranes, and all the up-to-date appliances required by a modern naval base. The question of land defences lies outside the province of the Admiralty, except in so far as it may be consulted as to the requirements in this direction; and Ihe cost, therefore, is not borne on the Xavv Estimates.