IN EASTERN WATERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12075, 28 February 1925, Page 6

IN EASTERN WATERS

BRITISH NAVAL lEFENGES “IlipAXi SAFEGUARD AN IMJPERIAIi EASTERN FLEET.” ~ COST TOO GREAT. By "'Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received February 27, 5.5 V- m -) LONDON, February 26. T*Tk. naval correspondent of the “Evening Standard,” discussing the imjtending naval conference on Singapore, says:—"Three zones from which commanders and ships may be drawn will"constitute the area into which the world's centre of naval gravity is slowly shifting by reason of trade importance. The ideal safeguard would be an». Imperial Eastern Fleet jointly created b> Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and India, but such a fleet, to he adequate, would cost two hundred million pounds, or forty million pounds from each contributor. ‘‘For this reason the ideal is beyond thg. reach of the different Exchequers, though, perhaps, ultimately each will have its own fleet, coalescing into a strategic whole fleet when needed. “Meantime, the best attainable substitute is a decision to allocate to Eastern waters.cruisers like the Vindictive and Kent classes, together with Adttralia’s new ten thousand tonnere, which are suitable for long patrols and trade_ protection, and are also available. But in order to offset the present opposition to capital ships there must later be a battle squadron having the advantage of training constantly in waters of its own sphere. The chief difficulty at present is the lack of dogjts, except for those at Bombay, Stjjgapore, and Hongkong, but that fioyE is insuperable.”

~ JAPANESE NAVY 'LIGHT CRUISER LAUNCHED. Reuter’s Telegram. TOKIO, February 26. The light cruiser Furutaka, 7500 tons, was launched at Nagasaki.