THE NAVAL POSITION
Sir—Careful thought has convinced us that the citizens of New Zealand have never grasped how .serious and urgent this question is. Cursory examination will sliow to tho most. unthinking that wo are in a far more dangerous position than when war was declared,' though that was pretty bad. 'Our narrow, escape is well known throughout ■ the Dominion, but ns yet wo have taken no steps to remedy'matters.-', Tho storm-centre is rapidly swinging toward us, even if it has iiot already so swung. Great Britain is not nearly so well protected in. these days of aircraft and shortened distances, owing to the greater and increasing speed of war vessels by the silver streak. For the moment her position is one of comparative safety, but that will" not always bo so; nor will the League of Nations make her safer. The new phase is tho supremacy of the Pacific, and that already causes' uneasiness. Japan and America both seek it. Tho key of the situation is not .north, as is generally supposed, but if one consults the atlas it is exactly reyersed-in the western side. Great , Britain in ■ the nortli, in the eastern side, New Zealand in the south. Great. Britain s alliance with Janan is not now the best thing— but a strong Now Zealand., Our Dominion Btands guarded by a silver streak so wide that even in these days it makw for safety; cliniato also has much to do with efficient bases for upkeep of war vessels. One does not find that tropical climates make for speedy engineering and building yards; v That the key position should stand, naturally guarded as our Dominion does is uatent to anyone. That is why Japan is, so desperately anxious to hold tire Chinese coastline opposite her, and it is on» of tl& reasons that count agam6t Australia. Australia is. and will be for years to come, indefensible. ' It will be far too easy to gain a foothold there and V should therefore be quito independent of her. She will have moro than she can comfortably do to hold her own, and will in future years be more likely to look to us for holp than wo,to her. I have said New Zealand is tho key ot the Pacific. America knows, it; Jnnan knows it: Great Britain knows it. (Olhecrs of the calibre of Admiral Viscount .Tellicoe are not sent here without good cause.) And unless we put .ourselves in a. state of defence -we shall find (.Treat Britain will do it, for'the simple reason that it must be done. > ' Auckland has always rencned out lor the nremier position as tho governing centre;'there she is mistaken, but she at no distant period will bo greater than that for she must become the Portsmouth of the south. The other tarn centres will also be iniportout-the Rounds will impress the Admiral c.s being the safest of shallow, and easily defended: Nelson possesses the facilities for tho air station for patrol of the Strait. At present: we are m a bad .ijosition. Great Britain being allied to Jannn, in ease of trouble between the latter nation and Americ.r whore do we stand. And is that trouble far distant? Think of. recent events. For instance, -the alleged discovery of a secret treaty between Jauan ani Germany by an American oiiicor. Then the evasion of the Monroe doctrine in tho purchase by Japan ol 800.000 acres of land in a Stato not so far' distant from the Panama Canal. Ask any observant' returned man who came via Panama as to tho Japanese population"!!!, and just outside, the zone. And. further, tho present sudden opposition to President Wilson, the League of Nations, and the Peace Treaty in America; and, agiin, the rate of exchan o e that is directed against Great B.ntam and ourselves: and *■'> on. , .., It must also bo remembered that tho bringing of tho latest type of huge battlecruisers through cither Canal is a procedure fraught with a considerable amount of danger, if not, indeed, impossible—even' supposing that they could oe BP Tho one lesson we sliouM have taken to heart from the war, is "keep them out'" and that wo certainly are not in a position to do. to-day. Our men have proved magnificent sailors and so.diers, but tihoro are no Bliips to man, and no guns or equipment worth mentioning. Wo being an island country, peopled by descendants of British sailors, aro eminently placed to take to the em, and instead of training the whole of our men us soldiers, at least hn-lf (and particularly those who havo the inclination and tradition in their families) should bs trained . for the. sea. The record of New Zcalenders who actually earved in tho Navy during tho war, and tho oven greater number who applied for transfer from the N.Z.E.F., allows that.
That we should be able to bwr all the expense sit ijist Hto ii? doubled (I pre fliuno that when Sir Joseph Ward said it was utidosirablo for us to have our own navy at present lie was speaking from a. financial'..point'of view), but we can iind tho men, and of the right sort, 100.
Wo font some. 500 men to the war foi service with the Navv. We should have unit at oOD'J, even though tiie nunv hern: of ins N.H.E. l'\ suffered by Dial amount. The exiwience gained would have bren worth it. And in that connection those officers and mpn who did serve and have returned should be assembled and asked to what extent they would be willing to assist in future development ol naval activity in New Zealand. Tho great thing now is to at once put ourselves in a state of preparedness. If wo do we shall probably not be molested; if we do not, we shall possibly have lost our chance in five years, it might even be in one, for it will have pnssed to other hands. Tho> nation that lioids Now Zealand and makes tho best of her naval possibilities holds the ltey to the Pacific, and the day New Zealand passes to other hands wii'.l bo a fatal oim for tilio British Kmpire—it is even as serious as that. The idea that engineering difficulties will prevent naval yards in New Zealand being wceessfitl is a false on?. Let either of the nations interested hava New Zealand, and in two years they will have 50 developed the . available hydro-electric power thai, they -A-ill not only maintain war vcsbclb, but wKI build them under-greater' advantages than m any other: part of the world. The late Field-Marshal Earl Roberta wag a voice crying in the wilderness. Wfll Admiral -'Viscount Jellieoe he another? If he is, we shall get it as surely as Belgium got it. Not because of daything we may say or do, but because of tho vital importance of our country.; wo can hold it with a navy backed by an. army, but not with an army atone. Ar» wo going to 1 do it?—l am. etc., CIIAS. .T. Vice-President N.Z. Naval Officers' Association.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 309, 25 September 1919, Page 8
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1,178THE NAVAL POSITION Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 309, 25 September 1919, Page 8
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