SINGAPORE BASE.

Wairarapa Age, 18 December 1924, Page 5

SINGAPORE BASE.

JELUCOE’S DISCRETION.

FAILS TO BE DRAWN. MELBOURNE, Dec. 17.—Lord Jellicoe maintained an attitude of siler.ee on naval defence at the civic reception tendered to him, 1 ut referring to the remarks of .Mr Watt, Speaker of the House of Representatives, who declared that Singapore was vital, and that Australia should pay her proper share, Lord Jcllicoc said: “It is not my place to comment on Mr Wart’s remarks no matter how much I agree with what he has said.”—(P.A.)

NOT AGGRESSIVE. FIRST LORD’S DECLARATION. LONDON, Dec. 16.—The Hon. W. C. Bridgeman, First Lord of the Admiralty, in a speech at a luncheon in Londan, said, referringto the Singapore Base, that nothing could be further from ihe truth than the suggestion that the scheme was aggressive. We desired to retain the valuable fnendhsip of tie Unite! ShJes and Japan. He was sure that American and Japanese statesmen did not regard the provision of the base as any kind of aggressive policy, but would look upon it as a policy of defence, loading to greater efficiency and economy in the Navy. It was simply a measure of insurance. There was no cloud on the 'horizon, so far as we could see at present, but nobody could foretell the future, and we must be prepared for unexpected turn of events. —(Reuter.)