NO CHANGE IN NAVAL POLICY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 672, 25 May 1929, Page 1

NO CHANGE IN NAVAL POLICY

Temporary Absence of Cruiser

MINISTER DEFINES POSITION

.From Our Resident Repu.lt-’i WELLINGTON, ToUav. DURING ihv absence of H.M.S. Diomede from New Zee the New Zealand Division of the Navy will have only one cruiser, but this does not mean any permanent reduction in the strength of the division nor any change in Nava! policy.

The Minister of Defence, the lion T. M. Wilforil. referring to a statement published recently dealing with the Dominion’s naval policy, said Sir Joseph Ward had summed up clearly when he said that no policy change was involved. It was true that H.M.S. Diomede would proceed to the United Kingdom at the end of this year for a refit which would occupy the greater part of 1930, and H.M.S. Dunedin would undergo a similar refit in 1931. The effective strength of the cruisers in the New Zealand Division would thereby be reduced to one. Far from any question of bringing about a permanent decrease, the Government had been in consultation with the Admiralty regarding the loan of a third cruiser to New Zealand on the same terms as hitherto to keep up the effective strength on the station to two. This would have increased the Dominion’s naval expenditure by some hundreds of thousands of pounds

during the next lew year.-. and. with the concurrence of the Admiralty, ji was decided to accept # temporal'reduction of naval strength in the in terests of economy.

Owing to the difficulty of absorbing trainees in the one ship which woulbe in commission, it had been necch sary to suspend recruiting for period of about oue year, but atithat it would be necessary for in creased activity to make up for Mi

loss of time. There was no iuteiftion of abandon ing the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy or of making any alter.* tion in the conditions of service or substantive pay. of any ratings serving in the division.

The Minister also gives figuresrefuting statements with regard to the appropriations for the division, alleged sloav promotion and a decrease in the number of active service New Zealand ratings.