THE SINGAPORE BASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22833, 18 March 1936, Page 9

THE SINGAPORE BASE

VALUE TO THE FLEET PROTECTION OF DOMINIONS LONDON. March 16. In the House of Commons Sir Roger Keyes said: “It is impossible to operate the fleet to the east of the Red Sea without a base at Singapore. Singapore is the outlying base of our great dominions in the East. Most of the money spent prior to shutting down the base by the Labour Government was provided by New Zealand, and quite a large sum by Malaya and Hongkong, showing that (hey realised the great need of the base.

Mr S. S. do Chair hoped he was not revealing a secret in saying that Britain possessed an almost foolproof antisubmarine device operating on a system of a reflector ray, the effect of which was that no submarine could come within torpedo-firing range of a ship without danger of instant destruction. The Admiralty had also constructed an anti-aircraft ship capable of a terrific volume of fire in defence of a harbour or of other ships. A DEFENSIVE PRECAUTION LONDON, March 16. In the House of Commons Mr Winston Churchill, speaking in the debate on the Royal Navy Estimates, said Singapore was about as far from Japan as Portsmouth from Now York. Singapore had never been, and could not be, an offensive base against Japan. It was a defensive precaution for the British Empire as well as a link or steppingstone with New Zealand and Australia. He hoped the Government would proceed with Singapore with all speed.