SINGAPORE NAVAL BASE.
GRANT OF £IOO,OOO, LABOUR PARTY’S OPPOSITION. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 29.' Th© Appropriation Hill provides for. a! grant of £IOO,OOO towards the cost of the Singapore naval base. The Labour Party in the House objected last' night to Buck a vole. It held tnat there was no evidence to show that the base was necessary. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr T. M. Wilford) said the scheme was shown by lending authorities to bo necessary. His, opinion of the offer of £IOO,OOO was that it was niggardly in comparison with the protection offered by the navy. • Tlie Minister of Defence (the Hon. ■ Sir R. Heaton Rhodes) stated that the Imperial authorities had given ample information to the Government showing th© need for the base. No doubt the Imperial Conference would decide on what expenditure should be made. Mr Holland remarked that there were; authorities who considered the base unnecessary, and if the £IOO,OOO were spent in New Zealand some good would result/; Sir Percy Scott was opposed to the scheme. The Minister of Justice (the Hon. C. J. Parr) said the Imperial Conference would decide whether the scheme would he proceeded with or not. So far as New Zealand was concerned. Mr Massey would bo guided by conversations with the sea lords and the Admiralty. Mr E. J.. Howard (Christchurch South) thought a base would have to be established either on the northern coast or the coast of Australia if Australia were to ‘be. protected. However, he felt that the clause wag a propaganda clause to enable the Prime Minister to say at the conference that New Zealand was in favour of the scheme. Mr Howard said he was not opposed to the idea of a base at Singapore', if it were necessary, blit he wanted'to know*; whether it was true that invitations , Jiad been issued to send certain people from. New Zealand to inspect the site of the base.
The Minister of Defence: I have not heard) of it. i
The Labour Party called for a division on the proposal that’the £IOO,OOO be made, a vailable, and the clause was retained- by 46 votes to 12.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 18954, 30 August 1923, Page 9
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362SINGAPORE NAVAL BASE. Otago Daily Times, Issue 18954, 30 August 1923, Page 9
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