AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18232, 17 November 1924, Page 13

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE.

m YEARS' PROGRAMME. om owh coaaisroxniST.) "jgfi SYDNEY, November 4. Jfte. Commonwealth Government has tenders for the construction in ffJjßritain o£ two modern submarinoEsers, with a cruising radius of about - m miles. In making the announcement last \icck, the Australian Ministe of Defence, Mr Bowden, said that .. & parties in the Federal Parliament Agreed ui»n the. necessity for sitbtotlncs ns an integral part of Aus- : iftlja's defence scheme. • No opportunity ia beinjr given to tho Otckatoo Aland Dockyard authorities H binder for the construction of tho UtfJMtinea. Tho work of construction &It is considered, too specialised for i jjcal construction, sind it is also doubtH whether, offing to tho secrecy atUthed to the. plans and specification?, lie British 'Admiralty would bo preitrtd to allow construction from its ejus tq he undertaken in dockyards Jfocr'than those -with which it is in iinwHouch. When the Prime Minister, * Mr Brnce, was in «reat Britain it Wfts tfttakted that the cost of each subasri&iwonld "be £350,000. jfhe addition'of two sea-going subfttt&i to tfie Australian Navy is part of" tifrl&fttttry'a development propiMi, tthich will extend over five f4i» at an approximate annual cost of tl.dOOiMfc-ttClnsive of tho capital «o« orerpiers • and submarines. The , developmental programme includes the folW&iia- -; . ■ . I ffavJWMi 10,000-toa cruisers, two I Kttoinjf'submarines, five 8000-ton oil . ttil*, 38.000 tons of oil. of artillery, artillery '- 'ilrou'tion, and anti-gas equipment, of \\ value approximating .€1,040,000, , IjMmr tho five years. This expen.B"J{i»»;,wlU be tteoessary to coyor dc- . irMties in equipment of tho field army, training'for the Citizen L 'Wjforse.-J'Aircfaft depot at ]Javer;Mioi& tm Units, with necessary ac- ; - qVaAViation.—Additional air routes. v a- y fovH&Mx 6f tfae Money. {.'v"'v < "' ' : ' necessary for tho purchase SHtfbttttiho crofters is provided Deffence Equipment Act, '"9PlSrt'*p > P*6p»ittted. from surplus (!jlmJUtO l dOO J .6f which £2,000,000 to naval construction. submarines in commission Navy, at present. i-jPfjtf ih» sil "J" class submarines >j##J»M» fosflMed of. Submarine J7 I d '"NSto&fr in use in connexion with ffl of electric p'Ower at MinivaM)ep6t. -*ud specifications of the. two users, which it is proposed to the" Australian Navy, have fiot f feeeived by the Inderal MinisMlil theso plans arrive, it is, 56j impossible for the Ministry y to, a decision regarding the ;of one of the cruisers at o* l*land Dockyard, the riceipt of the plans, Mr 'ss!& Rurquhar, tho member of the

Commonwealth Shipping i-<j£!M* r *attg6 Of ship ednstruction requiro about a month in SlPis™ P*pm his estimate of tho r 'JWi?.s*"&*& out tho work at Coeka-IW-Dflttrtra. No decision on the fiiatexpected until early ** ****• ** ib *" decided to tbe Cruiflefß fr6m shipbuild;m«pitt Great Britain, tho Ministry consider the questi6n to ai *plane carrier and a ffigKfJ l constructed at Cockfttod *siiK~M> Instead of a light cruiser. 'l«* «P«« presented to tho Ministry Monash, it was shown that TSr** &6ney saved in ordering both 8 ™ crttlscr s from Groat Britain, be possible to add an airplane JgS** *** » floating deck to the AusJlitJ B * 6,1t B P eCch cs at Newcastle the for Trado and Customs, Mr Pleaded for the establishment ilia of plate mills capable of tog amour for navv defence Mr Pratten said " that ho r?, t,lei it; was &°od policy to nolle that Australia was build-. 5Wn warships when they were Jtablishing assembling yards ng warships together from imperial. Much consideration f to this aspect of the ques' the Federal Cabinet when the pliey was being formulated. *Ut>n of the Cabinet, it is *>, desired to have a larger dote in order to assist in providthe local manufacture 6f mu. It was made clear to m, h6wevcr, that the eroetion to Jiroduee the required typo i would cost from £750.000 to &,&hd that all the plates *e?L " e * enc e. purposes could be such a plant in a few The proposals urged upon the tvere, therefore, rejected as t economically sound.