PICTON AS A NAVAL BASE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 745, 18 February 1910, Page 8

PICTON AS A NAVAL BASE.

.- : ' [To'.the .Editor.] . - .'~ '.Sir,-r-At. 'the .present :; juncture, when the, question; of'defence.-is'-a. matter .of supreme; importance, -.no efforts-should be ' spared to bring before' the. authorities: themost" eligible sites, -viewed' from a - na-' tional standpoint;'•.'. .';..■> '.-;• '■-:'. ".'■ •■-. ; v,-" In' November... last,: the :member; lor Wairau;; Mr! Duncan, brought,; this matter, before'Parliament;'by way of. question ; -the .Prime -Minister's'rreply' was,' 1 "1.-.will be- glad.'to',:n'ave : ' the question brought underi the; notice -of his -Excellency the; Admiral.". -..When -Mr; Duncan-put-that question he was unaware' that the; Admiralty;, had -. partially 'decided- -in' favour, of the, northern port of-Auckland; 1 anp! it'-must be-remembered th'at.'at-. thetime,,'beyohdl th'e.; f fact'■ that. the-:'limited\ depth,of water', was..known';.;there .was' no suggestion'.of, any. possible- drawback or, danger/whatever. ,','The'.', recent, Kaipara: ' disastej'.-has(, given. pbnyincihg..proof,;;th'at" other /dangers ,-' than' ': a .' ■ merely -shallow ; channel exist' beyond ..question. 'Can it even -now, safely' be -'assumed'.", that ; the shoal upon.which' the. Kaipara.came to grief .is the. bnly.one in -existence'?, /.Why,; the' very existence 'of-,• that' rock' would have .been indignantly 1 denied the previous, day. .-'. It .must. also be borne in mind, that the increased '•• size ';' of "• ships' "bo.th mercantile .and naval reauire increased depth, of .'.water for;-safe navigation." '-'It'; 'certainly is not in accordance, with-the spirit, of' the' times -that- when vesSels are readjy; for -sea" they- should-, be .eith'er'-"exi. ; peeted or compelled to wait for high tide before,being able to leave.the port...Then :as to situation, just, imagine .a; hostile, -.man-of-war landing -at; the JBluffi' seizin'?' tho railway, ■'■■ and—raiding. Ihvercargili, proceeding jtb Dunedin- ana;repeating- ; its operations'; afterwards shaping 'a - course; for. Lyttelton; but. under,' cover' of dark-i; ness doubling:back." i Imagine,' further, a: defence cruiser;;having iO .-•' degrees- to steam. to' ,«ndeavour,-.to meet, or intercept ah; enemy, which, might safely be' pro--beeding along, the otSer..coast-in; an. bp•posite directions;- ;) -'--'-'-'■':",- - -,'■ . --.;-v ..,-' ■■• .- 'In th'e;case of, Picton,..centrally'situ-, ,'ated, -well sheltered, easily defended;; with sufficient' depth, of: water' at any'state 'of: the tide-to admit:with.safety : the-largest ships .afloat,: or/likely :to :bo.,:built;-with-its, connections north, and south, any defence, cruisers-would'figuratively be -like a- spider in -'the. centre' of .its. web,, ready to, 'dash out ; in-;--'any;'direction. - LE 'occasion arose for any. such, defence ships to . leave their . base,,,there is,.. close, at hand, in the Straits; safe anchorage, deep water,': good; shelter: at '.Port Underwood,' from- whence ..they.. could,:proceed..in- any direction, at' short, notice, v In:-fact, just such': a position; as .Admiral'.Togo, chose' 'when: he lay ;ih wait for; the 'Baltic jFleefc" With: regard- to the matter,bf .axoalihg station, Auckland,: for .the,-.time being, inay_Hbe ,said ■to -possess. some,.advantage in its 'supply of inland:coal, -that : is,..if the .'coal,;ffom-the,' Taupifi ahd'Huntly mines'can be reckoned as first-class steam--ing coal., But'are;.they? Of. course- it'- is absolutelyhecessary'that.the coil'supply' should',be'. beyond the possible' reach, of any ; enemy. Sea-borne rcoal; at once be-comes-a. question-of.risk,-when its supply' .might, be, stopped, or .seized by ah-ehemy:-In the,;case'of this, difficulty could :be-:obviated';by .running. -a. line •up the Wairau Valley and 'inland,'-towards the coal:-.measures- lying, behind -Greymonth and -.Westport;,which :cbal.,-is of ■;• undoubted; quality.-.,Besides,:giving,.acoess. ; to'; coal, large, .quantities "of; timber ..would become available, and. a..still.;further.;'; benefit would be obtained.by opening up .a considerable area :bf'land'for -settlement, the .chief ;drawback:'of- which is-the -lack'of cbmmunicatioh:'--,; With- -such .<■ desirable ;commnnication,'- serving; this double pur. pose,-.each. in'.-itself 'a. sufficient ■■■ justification, Picton could' be made- easily.' - the safest,coaling station' in' New; .Zealand.';" ■. Then.'-as;to.dock- accommodation,' there is. quite a.choice'of-sites for establishing the, largest., and. most' up-to-date .docks necessary ;fof.-naval.and mercantile, pur-, poses;,these.ieatures:were not;unobserved by the.great, circumnavigator, ; Captain Cook.. .'He chose this, spot as. the;most suitable', for refitting;.-and as.'a rendezvous for naval.purposes.it has no : -equal.' 'A; picture.'; ini.a recent: number of the ; "Auckland Weekly,''- showing..the. - Kaipara, -,in,: the. Calliope Dock,, proves that J the Auckland;dock is only just, large | enough'; for;.that class -of .vessel..' It cer-.i tainly could hot' accommodate a. Dread- ! ■nought. . Theri.:.why not.make use; of tht grand. natural .advantages.- ivhich).Picton affords '60 much.in excess,of any,: other -.place?'-- ~' '" -■'" ,: "':.:■'' |

It is -to Vbe hoped-that these.-several matters' will-be' brought, under 'the no;tioe, not-only of Lord.Kitchener, but the admiral-ill charge of the' Australian sta-' tiori, and through! them to' ,the' naval, authorities in . Great. Britain; and vahy 'preconceived opinion ■; in favour of Auckland'should' only, 'be entertained in common with Pictoh, which; I 6ubmit, possesses' the greatest/natural 'advantages when:tho'protection of rhe':whole'of. New Zealand has' to be : considered!—l am, !etc.; ;; ' ■: i: V ' \ : : ■'■■. #; V ;: AGRICOLA;/!'