DOMINION'S DEFENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21640, 4 November 1933, Page 13

DOMINION'S DEFENCE

VALUE OF NAVAL RESERVE "KEEPING THE PORTS CLEAR" The valuo of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve to New Zealand was emphasised by Captain J. R. Middleton, director of Naval Reserves in the Dominion, in his farewell address to the Canterbury Division the other evening. Captain Middleton, who took up his position as director when the Volunteer Reserve was established in 1926, will retire at the end of this month. Commander C. H. Kerslev, commanding officer of the Canterbury Division, said that they could look on Captain Middleton as the father of the Royal Naval Reserve in New Zealand. The present ratings would perhaps not realise how much had been done by the early workers, but he was sure that the officers and those of the ratings who had been members of the reserve since its inception ivould appreciate Captain Middleton's work. Captain Middleton remarked that in the service there was a very sound tradition that no man should stay in the same job too long in case he became stale.

"Perhaps very few of you realise how essential your work is," said Captain Middleton, "but I suppose most of' you know that should mobilisation ever be ordered the two cruisers of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy would go north somewhere and join up with other cruisers to form a cruiser squadron. Then the whole naval defence of New Zealand would fall on the reserve.

"Mine-sweepers and other local vessels would have to be manned by you, and you, as experts in signalling, minesweeping and gunnery would be the nucleus of experts on these ships manned otherwise by officers and men of the mercantile service. Such work is essential, because it is absolutely necessary for us to keep our ports open in time of war."

Captain Middleton said that if ho had had everything he wanted the reserve would have cost the country as much as £40,000 a year. Of course, it had not cost a third of that sum, but even if it had, the expense would have fully justified. One ship leaving port from New Zealand loaded with wool and mutton and butter, might be worth £1,000.000, of which £40,000 was only 4'per cent. That would mean that the cost of the reserve was only 4 per cent of the value of one vessel. Continuing, Captain Middleton said he did not suggest that New Zealand ever would actually 'be attacked, but the feeling of confidence which the existence of the reserve inspired was of the utmost value. It created a feeling that whatever hapnened the ports would be kept clear.