DOMINION DEFENCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17351, 16 May 1924, Page 12

DOMINION DEFENCE.

MR MASSEY’S EXPLANATION Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, May 15. The Prime Minister, speaking at Auckland on Saturday, remarked that the Dominion's expenditure on defence would non be ,a million a year, but tin re is an impression abroad that when making this statement Mr Massey was referring to naval defence alone. In the course of an interview today, Mr Massey made it clear that his riemarks had .reference to both naval and land defence. “Some people thought, when I mentioned the cost, that. I was speaking of naval defence,” sqtd Mr Massey. ‘*l was sp-eaking of the total cost of defence, both naval and military, and T said in all probability it would redch a million within a year or two, and was not very far 6hort of a million now. \ million for a population hk© that of New Zealand is not at all a bad contribution.” Mr Massey also cleared up a tnisunder which some people labour with respect to the cost of naval defence. At the present time, New Zealand bears'the cost of maintenance of a cruiser which forms a unit in the New Zealand division of the Royal Navy, and Mr Massey has stated that at some time in the future another cruiser may also be obtained, and later on possibly a third. New’ Zealand does not buy these cruisers, or pay the cost of their construction, as some people think. The Dominion’s expenditure is merely on maintenance. Mr Massey’s statement on this point to-day was as follows: - “The ©misers are practically loaned to us by the British Government, on tho understanding that as long as they serve the purpose there will be no interference in that respect, and the British Government, will not take them away. We pay maintenance.” The cost of maintenance of H.M.S Dunedin, which was about to become the flagship of the New Zealand division, Mr Massey proceeded, would be between £250,000 and £300,000 per annum. He thought, however, that the cost of maintaining the Dunedin would be less than that of the Chatham, because the complement of the Dunedin * >'.s 100 men less, and the Dunedin wr j oil-burner, whereas the Chatham used coal for fuel. Mr Massey added:—“lf we go in for another cruiser, naval defence will probably cost about £500,000 a year. When the time conges when we think it our duty to take over another cruiser, she w’ill be a vessel like the Danae or Dauntless, which, are sister ships of the Dunedin.”

Mr Massey concluded by saying that the arrangement under which NewZealand worked in regard to naval defence enabled the British Government to withdraw some of the smaller cruisers, which it had out in these