SINGAPORE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 562, 20 June 1933, Page 4

SINGAPORE

INTERESTING CITY MR. F. BLACKWOOD SEWELL ADDRESSES ROTARY CLUB ERECTION OF NAVAL BASE In an instructive address to member.s of the Rotorua Rotary Club at yesterday's weekly luncheon, Mr. p Blackwood Sewell, for some yearj chief of the -survey department in Sinigapore interested his hearers in the progress being made there under the government of Great (Britain and the preparations for the establishment of the proposed naval hase. Prefaoing his remarks by stating - that it Was rather a difficult task to' take his listeners from chilly Rotorua " to the tropics of Singapore in, such a short talk, Mr. Sewell . stated that Singapore was a port of British Maiaya which' comprised nine states. He traced the many vicissitudes in the history of Singapore until 1819 -when as a result of -a treaty, it came into the possession of Great Britain. It was readily recoigindsed that in Singapore Great Britain had the key position in the waterways of the East. Singapore is the key position of the* 'Malaya peninsula, continued the speaker, and the humid climate fnade white the conventional dress. With the idea of the establishment of a naval hase, the- strategical position of Singapore had heen recognised, Japan being some 10 , days travelling distance, Hong Kong albout six days, and Manilla. and the Dutch Archipelago about fodU or five days' away. In the event of war, Singapore would be the focal point of naval activities in the East and apart from aerial attack, the speaker thought that little aggression could come from any foreign power operatihg in the surround. ing waters. The population of the Malayan group approximated 4,000,000 persons, stated Mr. Sewell, and that of Singapore itself about 8000 Europeans, (including 1000 soldiers), 7000 Euras'ians, 65,000 Malayans and 418,000 Chinese, which could not be considered a great population over its 50,000 square miles. ' A Yisitor's Impression Illustrating his remarks by the use : of a map of the area, Mr. Sewell ihe?. ; asked his listeners to imagine themselves as visiting Singapore. Ap- | proaching the harhour from the East, ? the ship would pass a succession of i small islands hefore drawing intq the i roadstead. Here they would be courte- - ously treated hy Customs offieials and 1 if disease on the ship did not necessi- j tate transference to the quarantine j station of St. John's Island, they j would he landed at the breakwater. j Here all arrangements regarding the i clearance of luggage would be taken \ over by representatives of tbe hotel | at which they had hooked and they 1 would commence a life of luxury. On I the- way to the hotel of their choice .1 they would probably pass the magni- 1

ficent new railway station which had cost about £150,000 and had heen aptly descriibed as the Gh'aring Cross of the East. From there they wooli reach the main streets of the city and would pass the post office of c-ignt storeys and other large buildings which are owned by many well-knoira firms. The magnificent bridge spanaing the Singapore River might alsobe crossed with a view of the fine criciet ground whiere the tgame is played throughout the year. _ . Having arrdved at his hotel, tne visitor would perhaps he called bya. resident friend who would invite h® . to his home. This would he f°un^ ® be a huildingr constructed in conform. ity with tropical conditions and pto •- •bahly a place of luxurious fml ings where native labour woultt n j employed. Having conformed wth-M usual custom of light refreshment before partaking of dinner about 8 JJM ■,the visitor would return to ms » and next day go on an aerial fli j to the scene of operations where | naval ibase is being built. Aerial Views j On this flight Blakangmati Is^l would be passed and the area 1 the town which is being rec toffl Jj the Government as an aeroplaue ai i J ing ground for overseas con^l flights would he sighted. 1 along the coast the present P J ated barracks and the f orts w 1 1 helieved to contain the bigg '1 in the world could be seen » J with the channel where 'British I ships proceeded from the hase. a After leaving the 'big co ■ aviation landing ground w ic J hangar.s and a large groun ^1 fioating dock would he rea,h the mainland, where work on .■ tion of the graving dock M .seen. This dock would cost ? from eight to 10 miflions to c : on M Incidentally New Zealand, _ M huted to' the cost, and ha terially assisted in the E V M eme of defence. The p°pulaTl JB New Zealand had been when, at 'the time of ™ M earthquake disaster, Malay m promptly forwarded a con {« albout £2500 towards the reu ■ "tl'GSS- i* 4-hg M The work of erection o was a huge task, hoth the , JM naval base being hewn o « grove swamps. One pig r he faced had heen that 0 this had heen dealt with s Another had been the re native chief to grant per ' move a ^ree ^ which ^ .J* sacred and when this ^(.*9 despite a warning oi ® , ' cC-pH enough three deaths J \ among the ranks of pi'° connected with the wor • • In the government oi tish offieials had ahso always endeavoured _ w the native. Included ia were onen wh'o had trained from early hfe stage of native custom mostly well conversan tb^^K of the native population- ^ : pletian of the visit, would undouhtedly car y ^ pression of the efficien ; Great Britata controllei *