FOUR BATTLESHIPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23828, 7 June 1939, Page 11

FOUR BATTLESHIPS

DUTCH EAST INDIES NETHERLANDS PLANS LEGISLATION EXPECTED (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) THE HAGUE, May 30. There are strong indications that the Netherlands Government will soon introduce a Bill providing for the building of four 26,000-ton battleships for the East Indies. All would be built in Dutch yards, and would be completed in four to five years. It is certain that .the new vessels would not be standard type 35,000tonners, since Holland would probably be unable to afford more than two or three of these, whereas she may consider herself able to build a handy squadron of four smaller ships. Cost of Rearmament The Bill's passing would involve a huge drain on the country's finances, which are already strained by a heavy rearmament programme, and the cost of partial mobilisation, under which 100,000 men are still on the various frontiers.

A demand by the strong Catholic section of the Dutch Cabinet that approximately £38,000,000 should be spent on the building of the new battleships and other vessels for the Netherlands East Indies recently caused the resignation of the Finance Minister, Dr J. A. de Wilde. It is considered that the adoption of this policy would accelerate the British decision to send battleships to the Far East, a point which is undoubtedly influencing the proposal of its sponsors. Demand for Indies' Defence Dr de Wilde, who had been Finance Minister since 1937, considered that such expenditure would disorganise the Budget. The Cabinet has been greatly weakened by his departure. The position of the Premier, Dr Colijn, is very difficult. He has undertaken to balance the Budget, but he cannot ignore the Catholic Ministers, who have been persistently demanding more liberal spending, particularly on the defence of the Netherlands Indies.

The largest ships' in the RoyaJ Netherlands Navy at the present time are the cruisers De Ruyter, Java and Sumatra, all between 6000 and 7000 tons, armed with 5.9 in guns. Two cruisers of 8350 tons are being built.