CONTROL OF THE SEA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19472, 6 May 1925, Page 10

CONTROL OF THE SEA.

MR BRIDGEMAN’ ON ONE-POWER STANDARD. Mr Bridge roan, First Lord of the Admiralty, addressing a meeting at Weymouth in March last, said he thought the position . abroad was rather more hopeful. There seemed to be some chance that the suspicion which existed between nations might be allayed, and there was an opportunity for the British Government to play a very honourable and noble part in allaying those suspicions. The gxeateet factor for peace, in his opinion, was not only the harmony of the different great States making up the British Empire, but also the security which the British navy afforded. Ho thought the vast majority of people of this country held the view that it was their duty as a Government to maintain at least a one-Power standard. Security on the seas was absolutely more important lo them than any other country, and the only way to secure it was by maintaining a fleet sufficiently string to defend themselves against any enemy. Nothing could bo more imprudent than to hold that any Government could forsee when a war was coming, therefore the only safe course was to regard this matter as a polioy of insurance against any risk, not against one particular country, to which they might he subjected. Their duty was to assume that every country was friendly, but ho believed that they ought to assume also that they had in this country a rifek .which no other country had—the risk of being wiped out altogether if they lost control of the seas —and take upon themselves the burden of insuring against that risk. If.they lost control of the seas, this country was done, and it was not a very high insurance preranim they were asked to pay—that of maintaining an efficient navy. Defending the Signature proposal, Mr Bridgeman said they had no dock in the East capable of taking in a first-class battle«hin. Let those who objected to it come out in their true colours and say they did not want p, fleet at all. If they had a fleet, surely it was the denth cf stupidity not to t»Vo measures to allow that fleet to ho efficient in the waters in which it was going to operate. An argument brought against it was * that there was something provocative in their action. It was really too ludicrous to suppose this country was an aggressive country. They did not want gestures in order to convince the world of their peaceableness. which was obvious to the whole world. It was only mischiefmakers who pretended that there was any menace to Japan.