EMPRE NEEDS STRONGER NAVY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17832, 28 April 1926, Page 14

EMPRE NEEDS STRONGER NAVY.

N.Z. SHOULD MAKE LARGER CONTRIBUTION. Fears that dangei of war was still atsrong factor In the world, and the opinion that it was the duty of the Dominions to assist in maintaining a strong Empire navy, were expressed at the annual meeting of the Navy League last evening. 44 Notwithstanding the hope that has been freely expressed during the last few years that the horrors of the Great War would end war, and that henceforth nations would live in peace, it is becoming increasingly evident that the risk of war is still present,” stated the committee of the Canterbury branch of the Navy League in the course of its report presented at the meeting. The report continu-ed:-—“Recent transactions of the League of Nations show that some of the nations of Europe are not yet prepared to accept each other on the basis of mutual trust and friendship. Great Britain has set the world a great example not only by her endeavours to build tip a mutual pact for the preservation of peace, but also by the marvellous manner in which she is redeeming her war debt. The redeeming of this debt, however, is undoubtedly straining the Motherland’s capacity to maintain a supreme navy. At the present time the Royal Navy is barely up to a one-Power standard, and it is the bounden duty of New Zealand and the other oversea dominions of the Empire to assist in that respect. There is ample work for the Navy League to do in New Zealand in urging a larger contribution toward the maintenance of the Navy, and in inculcating the lesson of a supreme naval defence. By the Navy we stand or fall, and the committee trust that the members of this branch will never allow the lesson to be forgotten.” APATHY TOWARDS NAVAL MATTERS. Referring to this matter in the course of his annual address, the president, Mr J. J. Dougall, said that, not only in New Zealand, but throughout the British Empire, people were a bit apathetic regarding naval matters. With the Washington Agreement, the Locarno Pact and the League of Nations many people believed that there would soon be universal disarmament and that it was, therefore, not necessary for Great Britain to maintain a powerful Navy. Twenty years ago the endeavour was to maintain the ► British Navy at a two-Power standard. To-day it was below a onePower standard. There was now at least one navy, which, from a material standpoint at any rate, was more powerful than the British Navy. One reason why the strength of the Navy had not been maintained was because of the heavy drain on the Old Country caused by her effort to meet her war debts. She was meeting these debts in a way which probably no other country could meet them. NEW ZEALAND NOT DOING ENOUGH. He considered that New Zealand was not doing enough towards the maintenance of the Navy. Per capita New Zealand was a wealthier country than England, yet, while England contributed 30s a head towards the Navy; New Zealand contributed only between 7s. and . Bs. Continuing, Mr Dougall said that a good deal of the misapprehension regarding the necessity for naval defence arose from the Washington Agreement made in 1921. This agreement merely limited the number of battleships, and said nothing at all about cruisers, submarines, aircraft or destroyers. The result was that, with the exception of Great Britain, the nations were vying with one another in building fast cruisers. It had to be remembered that the ships built before the war could not contend with those built since. Japan and America both had much faster cruisers than England. The other day it was disclosed that Japan had four new cruisers built secretly. To anyone who had studied naval history this was most significant. He did not regard Japan as a potential energy. She had nothing to gain and a great deal to lose by going to war with Britain, but the fact that she had built the four cruisers showed that she was watching someone and was not satisfied with the pacts and agreements made by the European nations. NAVAL CONTRIBUTION SINCE I 1918. Since 1918 the following -warships had been built by Great Britain, the United States and Japan:— BATTLESHIPS. Great Britain 3 United States 5 Japan 2 CRUISERS. Great Britain g United States jo Japan 17 DESTROYERS. Great Britain 29 United States 145 Japan 45 SUBMARINES. Great Britain 21 United States 53 Japan " * 49 It was obvious from these figure* said Mr Dougall, that Great Britain was rapidly losing ground. It should be borne in mind that the very existence of the Empire depended on supremacy on the sea. It was just as necessary to-day as ever for the Navy League to be vigilant and watchful They must impress on the people the absolute necessity for naval supremacy He hoped that next year there would be an increased interest in naval deand that the Government would see tit to increase its expenditure i„ this direction.