PARTIES ON WARSHIPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23882, 9 August 1939, Page 7

PARTIES ON WARSHIPS

PROTEST TO MINISTER 'From Our Own Correspondent) SYDNEY, July 25. Mr Tom Collins, a member of the House of Representatives, has written to the Minister for Defence (Mr Street) demanding that cocktail parties on naval ships should be banned. " The practice is wrong and should be stopped immediately." said Mr Colling. "Nowadays, spies are everywhere, and unfriendlv people may he within our gates, ready to seize information for a potential enemy In these uncertain times a warship is no place for a cocktail party. As we read from time to time of trouble on submarines and merchant vessels our anxiety is increased. "Moreover, ratings cannot be expected to feel happy when officers are giving cocktail parties and the men are denied some little concession or privilege they may be seeking from the authorities." Naval officers contended that the danger of espionage and disruption in the navy had been exaggerated. "In most cases the ship is the officers home—the only place where he oughl to return shore hospitality.*" said an officer "The naval officer in his ship has to pay for the entertainment of his guests like anyone else. The oubllr does not have to pay. Nor would the ratings expect the public to nav for their entertainments on ship Their friends and relatives come aboard on Saturdays and Sundays. Thev organise denies which are held on the quarter deck, where officers' dances are held Officers appear as a matter of routine at the dances conducted bv the ratings. The men know how-to entertain and how to enjov themselves " "I have no objection whatsoever to rtarces or children's parties on warships." said Mr Collins, in reply " but Cocktail parties are in a different category At cocktail parties particularly big ones, there are people wno are unknown to the hosts and. despite what the naval neop'e say about sentries. I think that unauthorised persons at these parties could see things thev are not supposed to see In America recently we have t -°en the activities of foreiPn spies and I think that in Australia we are far too complacent in this respect and feci ' it can't happen here r t is mv considered opinion that cocktail nnrtie- en warship are not onlv unnecessary but dangerous."