THOUGHTS FOR THE TIMES.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 May 1930, Page 4

THOUGHTS FOR THE TIMES.

WHAT OF SINGAPORE.

Recently, when the First Lord of the Admiralty was endeavouring to explain to tne House of Commons the inner meaning of the new Naval Treaty, ho told members that the British Government intended “to take into immediate oonsideratjon” tihe question of the Singapore naval base, .and that this would be clone “in consultation With tne Dominions.” The idea behind the Government attitude appears to be that, because of the holiday arranged for capital ship building, there is no need 'to carry out the original programme at Singapore. However, the “Morning Post” points out that the proposed base would be valuable chiefly for docking and refitting the cruisers -who protect Britain’s sea-borne trade. On any single day, according to this authority* the aggregate value of British cargoes afloat in Eastern and Austiral waters is more than £150,000,000. To defend all this, wealth Britain is asked to pay an insurance premium of £3,500,000 spread over a number of years, while the Malay States and New Zealend .are to find about £2,000,000 between them. Regarded from this point of view, Singapore is very much what the “Morning Post” describes as a “a necessity of Empire,” and the warship argument is not required to justify its existence as a naval base.