GRAVE WARNING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 319, 5 September 1932, Page 7

GRAVE WARNING

ADMIRAL SAYS INADEQUATE EMPIRE NAYAL DEFENCES. LOST SEA SUPREMACY. Melbourne, August 18. In the Federal Government's determination to economise, no services have been more severely hit than those associated with the defence of Australia. Under the voluntary system military training is practically non-existent, being confined to a mere handful of enthusiastic youths. If the Minister for Defence had his way it is certain that compulsion would be reintrodueed, but the Treasurer cannot find the money required. The Australian Navy is but a mere shadow of its former self, and only the patriotism of the people prevents it from hecorning a laughing stock. In an address to the memhers of the Brighton Yacht Glub the other night, Rear-Admiral G. E. Hyde, First Member of the Australian Naval Board, uttered a grave warning regarding the inadequacy of the naval defenees of the Empire. He said that Siam had 4800 naval officers and men, Chile 7660 and Australia 3100. At the close of the Napoleonic wars, Great Britain's naval complement numbered 150,000. Now the naval force of the entire Empire was about 90,000 men. Great Britain was once the greatest sea power in the world, said the speaker, but now other nations had greater navies. France and Italy possessed the fastest warships. Italy possessed the fastest motor ship. Half a century ago British whalers were the pride of the Antaretic. Now Norwas held a monopoly. Ilf a British ship sank Italy had to salvage it. A floating dock ' was recently built in England for New Zealand, and it had to be towed out by Dutch tugs. Britain did not have a tug capable of doing the job. Italy and France were building the two largest merchant ships in the world. Britain had onehalf completed and work on it had been stopped. 'Every other country in the world except Britain had subsidised shipping companies. While British companies went to the wall his friends patronised foreign shipping lines, while our lines were almost bankrupt and thousands of British seamen walked the streets. The Chief Comissioner of Police in Melbourne, Major-General Blamey, deplored the absence of protection from invasion. Because of the decline of the defence forces of Great Britain and Australia a large slice of Australian territory could be taken in the North and held by an invading force with little difficulty. Air-Commodore Williams said that Victoria spent more eaeh year on mental hospitals than Australia spent on her air defence.