NEW CRUISERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22225, 27 September 1935, Page 10

NEW CRUISERS

NAMES ANNOUNCED NAVAL BASE EXTENSIONS WORK AT KAURI POINT * EMPLOYMENT FOR MANY MEN fllV TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Thursday The announcement that H.M.S. Leander and H.M.S. Achilles aro to bo the new cruisers on the New Zealand station, replacing H.M.S. Dunedin and H.M.S, Diomede, was made to-day by the Minister of Defence, Hon. J. "G. Cobbo, in the course of a statement on navai defence matters. He also stated that contracts would be lot shortly by tho Public Works Department for the clearing and reclamation of that part of Kauri Point Domain which a recent Gazette notice stated had been-taken for naval defence purposes.

•It lid's been known for some time that tho two cruisers of tho New Zealand Division of tho Royal Navy, both ships of wartime construction, were to be replaced. It was recently announced that tho first of the Leander class cruisers would arrive about tho middle of next year, replacing the Diomedo, and that the second warship would replace the Dunedin probably in 1937. Until today it has not been generally known what two ships of tho Leander class would be sent to New Zealand. Triumph lor Naval Architects The Leander class cruisers are described as being one of the major triumphs in recent British naval architecture. They aro larger, faster and more powerful than the ships at present on the station and, in addition, each carries a seaplane for reconnaissance purposes.

The impending arrival of the new cruisers possibly has a bearing on the proposed work at Kauri Point, as it is understood that the Government intends to provide there adequate repair and storage facilities for services connected with the division and to provide in certain directions for the upkeep of the larger ships. This does not mean a transference of all activities from the Devonport naval base as a scheme for reconstruction there has been approved and the work commenced. " Much Work to be Done "

"Much work from now onward requires to be done at the naval base," said Mr. Cobbe to-night. "It is work which should have been undertaken long ago to meet growing requirements. The scheme which the Government has approved for the further development of the base will absorb a great deal of labour, skilled and unskilled, as it includes much reclamation, excavation and road making. "I have arranged with the Minister of Public Works, Hon. J. Bitchener, to have as much of the work as possible undertaken by co-opera,tive contract. There are men available on the spot and this work will be a very useful contribution to schemes for the absorption of labour."