THE SINGAPORE BASE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20917, 6 January 1930, Page 6

THE SINGAPORE BASE.

The protest which has been lodged by the New Zealand branches of the Navy League against the decision of the British Government to delay the construction of the Singapore base is not to be interpreted as an indication that the Navy League is desirous of prejudicing in any way the deliberations of the Five-Power Conference on naval disarmament which will shortly be assembled in London. The proposals for a reduction in naval strength which have received so much publicity of late have no bearing whatever on the Singapore base. That fact should be obvious to Mr Ramsay MacDonald and the members of his Cabinet, and there appears to be no reason why the British Government should have made its recent decision to slow up work on the base, except as a rather unnecessary gesture of disagreement with the policy of the preceding Government. The dominions in the Pacific zone, recognising that the Singapore base is essential to the adequate defence of the Empire, have contributed £2,113,000 towards the cost of its construction, and on the grudging' admission of Mr A. V. Alexander, the First Lord of the Admiralty, they were not even consulted before the Government determined to adopt a go-slow policy. At the present time it would be useless to speculate concerning the concessions in regard to naval strength that may be agreed to at the London confer*ence, but even if such sweeping reductions should be made that naval warfare in the future will become definitely impossible, although that is extremely unlikely, there would still be no logical reason' why the base should not be completed. The base will offer accommodation for all classes of ships, of any nationality. This is in itself a cogent argument in favour of its construction, as the tendency is to build larger liners, whatever the size of the future battleship may be, and an adequately equipped dockyard at Singapore is certain to be of. immense value to ordinary non-combatiye shipping. In spite of the high hopes of the British and American Governments, which are shared generally throughout the world, that war will be effectively outlawed, it must be remembered that .the .day may still, be far distant when' war, either on land, or the sea, or in the air, will be impossible* and apart from the security which the Singapore base will assure to the British possessions it would be immensely important, should war ever happen, in assisting to guarantee to the Mother Country vital, supplies, of foodstuffs and raw materials. The British Government fortunately does not appear to be sufficiently confirmed in its • concerning the base to repeat tb£ decision of 1924 to abandon it allogether, and, while Mr Alexander's reticence to be deprecated, itjnay be.that, as a recent cable messagefsuggested, the work of construction is not to be as seriously retarded as the Government's statements -might indicate. .. -■ ■