EMPIRE DEFENCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19026, 28 May 1936, Page 5

EMPIRE DEFENCE

CLOSER CO-ORDINATION SUBJECT FOR CONFERENCE TRADE ROUTE PROTECTION PART BY DOMINIONS (Elec. Tel. Copyright-United Press Assn ’ ) (Reed. May 28, 10.30 a.m.) * LONDON, May 27.

The Sun-llevald News Agency says that the Imperial Conference has been fixed to take place after the coronation of King Edward. The main item of the agenda will be defence. The Sun-ITerald News Agency learns that proposals for the closest possible co-ordination in Dominion defence activities in connection with Imperial communications will be discussed. The basis of the discussions will be the developments arising- from Britain’s programme as outlined in the White Paper on defence and the operations of the Ministry for Co-operation of Defence.

Britain .strongly believes that owing to the instability of the international situation, a tightening up of Imperial defence liaison is imperative, and that Empire trade agreements may work only if the trade routes are invulnerable.

aloe. EXPANSION OF NAVIES The Daily' Telegraph’s naval correspondent. says that, already it. is clear, owing to the steady expansion of European navies, that Britain will not be in a position to maintain strong naval forces both in Europe and the Far East. The Australian and. New r Zealand Governments, therefore, must henceforth depend more and more on their own powers of defence, Undoubtedly, the most pressing problem is the British future policy regarding the Mediterranean, on which even in tbo navy itself there are two schools of thought—one that Britain could not hold the Mediterranean against a first-class local power, and should, therefore, be prepared to divert all her Eastern traffic via the Cape when an emergency threatens, whilst the other argues that the Mediterranean must bo held at all costs, even if it means modernising the defences of Malta, and creating new bases in the Eastern Mediterranean.

No official decision has yet been reached on the problem, but one thing certain is that only the closest cooperation ibetwecn the Imperial and the Dominion Governments can ensure the Empire’s defences as a whole being placed on a firm foundation. Moreover, jt is difficult to see how the Dominions can escape a much heavier burden of expenditure in the future than'they have undertaken in the past.