NEED TO REARM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18504, 17 September 1934, Page 9

NEED TO REARM

UK’ PEACE EFFORTS FAIL REAR-ADMIRAL’S WARNING FREMANTLE, Sept. 4. Rear-Admiral Ford, officer commanding the Australian Naval Squadron, declared to-day that the Bntibh Navy, compared with the navies of other nations, was smaller ft present than at any time since the Armada. He emphasised the need for the Empire to rearm. In-an interview aboard H.M.A.g. Canberra; Rear-Admiral Ford sdld: "I think it is the duty of every able-bodied man voluntarily to take up some system of defence' training, such as learning to use arms or doing squad drill, so that if called upon to deiend his home he will not require months of training before he is of any use. Ido not think the Commonwealth can afford a big permanent force, but a skeleton force, allied to suitable voluntary training, should give ade-t quate defence. "The first thing is to defend shipping, and this is vital to the Empire and Australia. The Empire has 80,000 miles of sea communications to guard. In 1935 the experts agreed that TO was the minimum number of cruisers necessary ; to .defend those communications, but in 1930; 4h6; British GoveriimcipHgave- the lead to the world by agreeing to a reduction to 50 Cruisers. In 1936 14 of, these, crujsers and 40 of the 108 destroyers will be obsolete,- Those will have tc|: go to sea and fight If the nocd' arises. Australia is 12,W0 mile’s from many of her markets and from Britain, and if thero is not adequate naval defence, how will her sea-borne trade bo defended? TTie cost of naval defence to England is is per £IOO of national income, and to the Empire 3d per £IOO. This is surely the cheapest form of insurance in the world. ; "I am a great believer in giving 'everything a fair trial, but there comes a time when further trial becomes merely waste of effort, and a dangerous waste.Surely 16 years of constant effort by the British Government in the cause of peace is a long enough trial. Great Britain can no longer continue to make the effort by disarming. Adequate de J fence is the greatest deterrent to wav', and it has always been a question of. navJnde/ence with our Empire. Noth! ing dan- alter that, not even the air. The air is; very important, for aircraft is the eyet of the navy, but I do. noif - think that it will ever become the mail) ariri of defence of the long-distance communications of the Empire.”