EMPIRE DEFENCES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18559, 20 November 1934, Page 8

EMPIRE DEFENCES

WELLINGTON CONFERENCE SIR M. HANKEY’S VISIT (Special to the Herald.) WELLINGTON', (bis day. Sir Maurice Han key, secretary of the Committee i>f Imperial Defence, ami Sir Georg'' Sens e, C.jmmonweali!: Minister of External Affairs, will arrive here on the Wnugauella. \ o- morrow 1; i ailmul a conference cn defence quo.: inns of I lie g re. it'si i:.i port an t c ns a amnns of further i-c-iiriliiial in.; (li - fe no’ measures in New Zealand and Australia with the Impelial plans. New Zealand will be represented by the Hon. ,T. G. Cobbc, Minister of Defence. Rear-Adniiral Burges TVacson,

and Major-General Sinclair Burgess, gnteial officer commanding the New Zealand military forces.

The present Commonwealth Defence Minister is Mr Archdale Parkhill, hut Sii George, Pearce held the position when the conference was being planned. lie is accompanied by Air A. T. Leighton, Commonweal!h Con-troller-General of Munitions, and Mr F. Sheldon, secretary of I lie Commonwealth Defence Committee. As an outcome of the conference, it is expected to establish a closer liaison regarding naval, military, and aviation matters between the 'Commonwealth and New Zealand, co-ordinating with the Imperial authorities. This movement has been greatly forwarded iri recent years by Australian and New Zealand naval visits and the conducting of combined gunnery, torpedo, and other squadron exercises annually, while this year has seen a resumption of the training of New Zealand cadets for the staff corps or New Zealand artillery at the Royal Military College of Australia. The Dominion is also substantially dependent on the Commonwealth for heavy munitions which are manufactured there. Last year a large quantity of New Zealand artillery ammunition was reconditioned and filled with high explosives at the Commonwealth munitions factory.

The conference, while concerned over common problems of defence, shipping, and protection from military raids, will also endeavor to further plans for Empire co-operation in the utilisation of the full resources of all Empire countries in defensive measures. ;

BRITISH AIR ARM IMPORTANT CHANGES (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Received Nov. 20. 2 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 19. The Star says that the Air Ministry has decided to increase the strength of the fleet air arm abroad find to concentrate all borne squadrons on the south coast of England. A sqqadrou of four-engined high-speed flying boats is almost completed, and will fly to Singapore in December, where it will bo handed over to the Air Force there. A new squadron of flying boats is being formed at Pembroke dock. A torpedo arid bombing squadron at present stationed in Scotland is being , transferred to a great new aerodrome on Thorney Island. Other squadrons also ate 4 being transferred to the south' coast in order "to increase their range 1 of action across the sea. •