The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1930. THE SINGAPORE BASE.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1930. THE SINGAPORE BASE.

Ihe protest which lias been lodged hv the New Zealand branches of the Navy League against the decision of the British Government to delay the construction of the Singapore base is not to he interpreted, considers an Otago paper, as an indication that the Navy League is desirous of prejudicing in any way the deliberations of the FivePower Conference on naval disarmament which will shortly be assembled in London. The proposals for a reduction in naval strength which have received so much publicity of late have no hearing whatever on the Singapore base. That fact should he obvious to Mr Ramsay MacDonald and the members of his Cabinet, and there appeal's to he no reason why the British Government should have made its recent decision to slow up work on the base, except as a. rather unnecessary gesture of disagreement with the policy of the preceding Government. The dominions in the Pacific zone, recognising that the Singapore base is essential to the adequate defence of the Empire, have contributed £2,118,C00 towards the cost of its construction, and on the grudging admission of Mr A. V. Alexander, the First Lord of the Admiralty, they were not even consulted before the Government determined to adopt a goslow policy. At tlie present time it would be useless to speculate concerning the concessions in regard to naval •strength that may bo agreed to at tbo London, confc'cnce, but even if such sweeping reductions should bo made that naval warfare in tbo future will become definitely impossible, altliourdi that is extremelv unlikely, there would still be no logical reason why the base should not be completed. The base will offer accommodation for all classes

of ships, of any nationality. This is in itself a cogent argument in favour of us construction, as the tendency is to

build larger liners, whatever the size of the future battle,snip may he, and an adequately equipped dockyard at Singapirc is certain to he of immense value to ordinary non-couiliative slapping. In spite of tne high hopes of the British and American Governments, which are shared generally throughout the world, unit war will Do effectively outlawed, it must be remembered that the day may still be far distant when war, either on land, or the sen, or in the air,, will be impossible, and apart from tne security .which the Singapore base materials. The British Government it would he immensely important, should war ever happen, in assisting to guarantee to the Mother Country vital supplies of foodstuffs and raw materials. The British Government rortunately does not appear to be sufficiently confirmed in its resolution concerning the base to. repeat the decision of 1924 to abandon it altogether, and while .Mr Ale-uuuler's reticence is to he deprecated, it may he that, as a recent cable message suggested, the work of construction is .not to be as seriousy retarded as the Government’s statements might indicate.