AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23686, 19 December 1938, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE

FIRST CO-ORDINATED PLAN

HUGE INCREASE IN COST ♦

(From Our Own Correspondent*

SYDNEY, Dec. 9.

The first co-ordinated plan for Australian defence,, was outlined in the House of Representatives by the new Minister of Defence (Mr G. A. Street), who announced that the plan would involve expenditure in this and the next two years of £63,000,000. including a new loan of £10,000,000. The total exceeds by almost £19,000,000 the estimate of eight months ago. Mr Street made it clear that the soul of Australia's defence preparations lay in co-ordination with the British navy. "We look to Britain in an emergency to station at Singapore a fleet of sufficient strength to safeguard Empire interests in the eastern hemisphere," said Mr Street. "There has been much Joose talk about the crisis proving that this could not be done. Nothing of the sort was indicated. On the contrary, the Government had sound grounds to be reassured on this point. The people of Australia have the fullest appreciation that British sea power is the essential basis of the security of the Empire. Britain's strength is satisfactory in comparison with any two Powers other than the United States with whom, of course, war is unthinkable. If Britain is confronted with an alliance there is no reason to believe that she would lack powerful allies. In addition, she has in hand a vast naval programme." Because the navy in collaboration with the British navy, will be the first essence of Australia's defence, the greatest expenditure will be on this arm. This will amount to £20,548,000. Supporting the navy will" be the Air Force, for which the expenditure programme is £16,444,000. Behind both will be the army, on which it is proposed to spend £ 19,704,000. It is proposed to spend £4,855,000 on a munitions supply programme. , Mr Street said that expert naval opinion was definitely against submarines for Australian defence. He announced important naval constructional works to be undertaken at Cockatoo Dock, including the building of two " Tribal". class destroyers and 12 motor torpedo boats. Mines would be manufactured in Australia for harbour defence. The Government had decided that as a capital ship could not be obtained before 1943, the idea of purchasing one should not be adopted at this juncture. The Government would consult with the British Admiralty and obtain expert. engineering advice on the provision of a suitable dock at Sydney.' Dealing with land events, the Minister said that the most serious form of aggression would be attacks by large forces of enemy troops with the object of capturing important centres. Defence against such threatening hostile action depended on the presence at Singapore of a fleet adequate to give security to Australian sea communication and to deter an enemy from aggression. An army and air force of sufficient strength to require an enemy to come in great force, and thus render him more vulnerable to naval and air force action at sea, was also needed. The army and air'force would have to be strong enough to defeat an aggressor should he secure a footing in this country. There? was- no doubt, said Mr Street, that Australian national resources when* developed were capable of placing in the field an army strong enough to defeat an expeditionary force of the size that could be landed from one convoy. It was even within the country's potential capacity to deploy an army which would deter a hostile Power from undertaking large scale operations in the main area. At the Dresent stage it was essential to concentrate a large proportion of military effort on the protection of areas on which the maintenance of resistance would depend. ~ „ The crisis of September, said Mr Street, taught the outstanding lesson that in a future similar situation there might be little or no time in which to complete current peace-time preparations, particularly the raising and training of personnel. It was necessary, therefore, to undertake the training of lower ranks concurrently with that of commanders, and to provide adequate war materials. Mr Street announced a further development of the air force programme. This is an additional squadron, making a total of 18 squadrons, and raising the first line strength from 198 to 212 planes. As a result of personal representations by Mr Lyons to Mr Chamberlain, every r thing possible was being done to expedite the delivery of twin-engine general reconnaissance machines, he said. In the meantime Avro Ansons were being lent and 50 Lockheed Hudaons were being bought t rotti the United State*.