The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1923. THE SINGAPORE NAVAL BASE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 90, 21 August 1923, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1923. THE SINGAPORE NAVAL BASE.

From time to time questions are raised in both Houses of the British ! Parliament challenging the Government's decision to develop Singapore as a naval base, and usually j contrasting the importance of this j expendituro with that of making Great Britain secure from air attack; j but the Government has a truer]

sense of proportion and does not c nfuse the issues. "The air menace to this country," said the naval correspondent of the "Morning Post" in a recent article "comes about from its proximity to the Continent, but it is in the nature of local menace, to be met by local defence measures. The menace to the British Empire on the seas is world wide, and can only be guarded against by worldwide sea-power. This country is open to air attack from France, Germany, Belgium and Holland, and such of their Continental allies in war as could use air bases in those countries. There the menace begins and ends, with the existing development of flying and provided we have sea supremacy to prevent aircraft in large numbers being carried overseas and massed against outlying portions of the Empire. But there is another aspect to the a;r question. Neither this country nor its potential enemies in the air are self-supporting with regard to petrol. The Continental countries may be able to obtain supplies by overland routes, but it will be a serious handicap to them if we cut off all supplies of petrol, and unless we can ensure, those supplies, as well as the innumerable others which are the life-blood of this country, it Is only a matter of time before our Air Force, however great, will,' be useless. The power to counter Continental air menace is, therefore, in the end directly dependent on our ability to retain sea supremacy. The real importance of Singapore will be apparent to those who think Imperially instead of parochially. As Lord Salisbury said in the House of Lords, "our responsibilities are not only to this country, but to the Colonies in every quarter of the world, certainly not least in the Far East;! and the Colonies cannot be defend-! ed by aircraft alone, whose area of I operations was strictly limited. Un-i i less, therefore, there is efficient; j naval support we shall be ■ ing one.of our great responsibilities." Strategically, Singapore lies on the flank of the main routes from Snez to Australia ana to New Zealand, and From India to the Far East. | It covers the oil supply from Burmah to the westward, and it is the gateway into the Pacific to the eastward. If the importance of Singapore to the Empire is not appreciated in certain quarters in this country, it is recognised as a matter of vital interest in Australia and New Zealand. The wise merchant will insure his personal property at home, and we must have an adequate home defence against Continental air menace; but he will also cover his risks on his sea-borne goods, so must we make this essential provision for sea insurance in the Far East. To concentrate on the first while neglecting the second is to jeopardise both the safety of the Dominions and that of the Eastern trade. By securing at home, wo shall knit the ties of Empire more closely, and thereby promote increased Imperial security."