NATAL DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2191, 2 July 1914, Page 3

NATAL DEFENCE.

SOME OBSERVATIONS.

[BY W. E.- KINNERSKV.]

This is a subject on wliich ore wlio is nst an espft'rfc naturally lies-itates to express an opinion, btti; in vjetv* oiF its great importirace, t desire to make soma observalions in tie hope that they may be- of assistance, It. appeal' to me 'that the Government in taking steps to make some provision for se.H>llefp arc dctitig Wotk that, is deserving of streng support and approval. Xo doubt the talk of it "toy" navy and the enormous and piohibiiire expense tWt bo required to isstahlish one that e.ould, even united ivitli Australian and Canudian forces, meet tlie Warships of a, powerful e.Mcm.y wi anything tiko equal terms, infiue.iiws a good many ptiople, and inclines them to the view thai it is, Useless to do more : t.iiaii rely on doing our best to strength- ■ en the Empire at its heart for the naval encounter that may, at least for the time being, decide its fate.

Thoro arc, ho«ever, other aspects of I tlx- question that seem to l>o well | worthy of consideration. It does not: | appear _to ba at aft necessary for our : | protection that wo shctild haire a fleet | capable of overcoming the warship? <s'f S a .powerful enemy. An invasion of this' I country would not be- practicable with- | out troopships becauso it. would te ire-. I possible to transport a sufficient nunr- | tier of troops, ill warships to cope With | the land forces even now available for | our defence, and it seems apparent that 1 a very few modern waislr.ps in these | waters, espefiiaJly i| sap.ported. h ; y soiiie | submarines, aeroplanes, and sea. ptanes, * could mate matters extremely unpleas- 1 ant for troopships, as matter how powerfully tliey • were protected by alt. enemy's warships. The risk of sending troopships here under such circumstances would he so great as to ctfeeti:nliy deter an enemy from attempting invasion. What would he the fate of the soldiers in a troopship if she were mink by lolig range sinus from a warship or b_v a torpedo from a submarine? There would ?)o no room or sufficient provision for thetn to- su'eiv csf th<jm as wore saved cm the protecting warships even if they did ndt perish before any successful iittenivjt could be made fur their rescue. A submarine amongst troopships has been compared by a naval, writer to a fox in a poultry yard, and the comparison appears to ho a very ;vpt- one. The naval programme of tho Government as I unders'taltd it need not necessarily ho limited to one cruiser; of the Bristol vvpo Kfr te training men for '. the Navy; although these are the pre- •' wnt leading .suggestions-. The end i'n, vieiv is to provxlo some protection to . cur commerce on. enr own cogsts, and ' fecal Mnnd defeaee agftiijst invasion So far as that qiUi be dcH:-, hariiif; duo regard to Hfn resources o? : ' this eoioi- ■ ■' try. To ensure. tiio safety of slrifipiHg throughout tlio trade routes is Iwvond ottf power; but we can do soniiniiii!,'; to protect ourselves from the enemy white the Mother Coimtrv is eii.ga;q:<^. in the great task of d'efe'iidJiig jiersslf : and the Empire elsewhere. Were vre : so loeally pwlvntod, even if the 'MoOser Couniry suffered a Sefi.oys reverse we could hold our own until she recovered, or if uii'noppiiy she did not recover, we could make terms ftir alliance to : pj-0' < tection. that it, would be idlo to seek if wo Had an enemy established in our : country. Tiiere is no doubt that the existence of undefended, rich, and sparsely populate^territories-eminently suited for occupation by people of the : iEuiropfi..ail races: is_ ,in itself an inconiive •'to- if, ail- / outlet for its siirplus po'ptil&on, to er... gage in war. The provision ol <fficifiit ioeal d§i;ene,e would remoyo that; ;inc.eii-. tive and render even a. great victory a barren sacrifice of men and ships. •It nU-fy.be an id that if \vo make such moderate provision as is . within our ; means .to protect oursdves from invasion there will still remain the risk of our ports being bomkrded; but withr out tho power to' invade there . would ■ he no temptation for an enemy to make : such an attnek. To espoSq costly modern tt-arships to tlio risk of destruction by mines, land battories, or torpedoes from submarines for the sake of bombarding nOr'ts with little or no ! hope of landing ;i ioice. sufficient to secure jiermancnt occipation, would W so unwiso as to: afford iio substantial ground, for apprelveiision wliea by tho provisioa of adequate local defence, rendering llKyirairsport and landing of troops impracticable, Wfe,h{iv.e pro'tfeet-. cd tlio country from invasion. Timatu, June 26, 1914.