NAVAL BASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22490, 6 August 1936, Page 10

NAVAL BASE

WORK OF EXTENSION SPEEDING-UP DESIRABLE REFITTING OF NEW CRUISERS [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Wednesday The desirability of expediting the provision of adequate repair and other facilities at the Devonport naval base in order that the new Leander class cruisers, H.M.S. Achilles and H.M.S. Leander, may undergo their periodical refits on the New Zealand station is suggested by Rear-Admiral the Hon. E. R. Drummond, commodore commanding the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, in his annual report on the Dominion's naval forces, which was presented in the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones. Rear-Admiral Drummond states that further delay in providing the necessary facilities may affect the refit of the new cruisers at the base. At the end of last financial year, the report states, there were 535 ratings 011 the active list of the division who had been recruited in New Zealand. In addition there were 22 Imperial ratings accepted for permanent service in the division, and the ships' companies were completed by 51G ratings loaned from the Imperial service. A total of 79 ratings were entered during the year, recruiting having continued to be highly satisfactory. Another batch of 30 New Zealand ratings was sent to England to .serve in the Royal Navy on an interchange basis for approximately three years. Sixty ratings from the Dominion were now serving abroad under this scheme. Others had been sent to Australia and England for special courses of instruction in technical subjects.

Plans for the reconstruction of the naval base within a period of three years have been drawn up and approved, the report continues, and the first year's programme is well under way, although the actual construction of buildings is behind schedule. Negotiations are to be carried on with the Auckland Harbour Board for a new agreement to meet present and future requirements. The overcrowding of explosives at Fort Takapuna has rendered essential a move to a larger magazine, and a start has been made with the building of a new magazine in an area capable of expansion. The depot will take three years to complete and good progress has been made in the first year.