EMPIRE DEFENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 174, 24 July 1936, Page 7

EMPIRE DEFENCE

VALUE OF THE NAVY SEA ROUTES ESSENTIAL I " I SPEECH BY FIRST LORD [British Official Wireless] RUGBY, July 22. In a speech to the Empire Parliamentary Association. Sir Samuel Hoare (First Lord Qf the Admiralty) said that recent events nad demon- j strated that naval strength which would have proved adequat e in tne I past might no longer be sudic_e.it to i fulfil the demands of collective acti n • and unlimited liability in the present i and future. The British rearmament! programme was no more and no less | than proof of Britain’s determination j to provide for both self-defence against an aggressor and the playing of its part in the enforcement uy comon action of international ob’igations. Sir Samuel admitted that the advance in air power had introduced many new problems, but he declared r - that the well-established doctrine that Britain depended for her existence primarily on sea power remained unaffected. Referring to the Singapore Naval Base he said that the fortunes of the British peoples and interests in the Far East would always be of Paramount importance, and the work being carried out at Singapore was a vital contribution to the collective security of the British Commonwealth. The naval base was regarded j by son’e as a menace and by others i as a tytile extravagance. It was j ueithec the one nor the other. Units of Empire. Sir Samuel Hoare said that •ven the greatest units of Empire, such as Australia, could not long resist the attack of a ; powerful nation. The only seem- | ity of such unit lay in sea power. The British navy must always be maintained at a level enabling to reinforce any unit of the ' Empire likely to be threatened. There was much controversy a.; to ; the value of battleships, but th? A i- i miralty remained convinced i*"’.! ’ there was no answer to the mg hi-; except the big ship. Air power w irt • not prevent an enemy sending ou: warships and playing havoc with ■ trade if the Empire Navy was no: in a l position to round up an J de-troy them. Aircraft had less endurance ■ and less range than ships. While Bi.- • tain should make the fullest use oi 1 air power for the protection of trade, she still depended on the Navy. No amount of local defence by air and sea could protect the commercial arteries of even the largest Donvnion. and the application of a local remedy to a widespread disorder wnuld he foredoomed to failure. The maintenance of a powerful and highly mobile fleet was essential for the dual purposes of protecting the world-wide in- j teiests of the Empire and succouring | any units threatened with attack be- j yond local resistance. The defence burden was faring ' heavily on the United Kin g Th.’. The | deep interest of other units oi the Empire may suggest to them ways cf ; sharing the burden. One direr'-on is . local defence. While it is true that a J local force will not protect th-_m against a strdng enemy, the capacity to repel a comparatively >mall scale attack before the arrival of naval reinforcements should be achieved. IMPERIAL POLICY GRCUP LORD LONSDALE'S DECISION j SIGNIFICANCE OF ACTION LONDON, July 22. j Lord Lonsdale has joined the Im- j perial policy group. As he ■ viously not associated with . ny pi. m- | cal body his action is held to cmptisise the anxiety the Conservatives am • feeling about the political .itaedion. j KING'S CORONATION EMPIRE TRAIN PROPOSAL j FAVOURABLE RECEPTION. LONDON. July 22. ! The project of an Empire train to ■ tour Great Britain during the Corona- i tion year, suggested by the Victorian ’ Agent-General (Mr. Linton), will be considered by the committee on which j the High Commissioners are asked to i nominate representatives. Mr. Mai- ; colm MacDonald has approved the | project. The Earl of Elgin, presiding at a i special meeting of the Empire repre- ; sentatives, stated that it would be a | gesture of loyalty to the King and an excellent means of educating England in the significance of the Empire. The estimated cost for six months of a ten vehicle train to tour is £37,000. ( KING’S GARDEN PARTY j MANY TAKE PART. I [British Official Wirtlcbh] S RUGBY, July 22. < The King, who this morning re- t ceived in audience the Maharajah of Mysore, who is on a visit to England, ( - this afternoon gave the second of the 1 garden parties which are to rank as 5 a court for those ladies who are pre- < sented. There were 1200 guests and ‘ about 500 presentations.