Singapore Base Vote Vindicated

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 116, 6 August 1927, Page 8

Singapore Base Vote Vindicated

A PROMISE KEPT MR. ROLLESTON’S EXPLANATION (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Friday. THE Government’s promise of A <£1,000,000 toward the Singapore Base was vindicated to-night by the Hon. F. J. Rolleston, Minister of Defence, in his speech in the Financial Debate, in reply to the Leader of the Opposition. There appeared to be some misapprehension about New Zealand’s gift, he said. The sum of £IOO,OOO was voted towar dthis project in 1923 and referred to at the Imperial Conference in 1924. Then, in the following year, the Labour Government of Great Britain turned the proposal of the base down. Mr. T. M. Wilford: But they laid down five cruisers. % Mr. Rolleston: That is the point. They laid down live cruisers and increased the vote to the Air Force. I don’t quite know why they turned down the base. Mr. Wilford: It was a moral gesture to the world. Mr. Rolleston: That was so. Mr. H. E. Holland: It was turned down because naval experts said it was not worth a continental as defence. Mr. Rolleston: This point is not being raised now; in fact, it is being said that the base is absolutely essential. Without the Singapore Base it will be impossible to get a capital ship into the Pacific. If we are going to have a navy it is of little use unless we can move it about, and by having the base at Singapore the British Fleet will be able to come into the I'aeilir. By this expenditure we merely re-establish the status quo of before the war. There has always been a

base at Singapore, but it was recognised that it was not big enough for the ships being built. To say this is a violation of the spirit of the Washington Treaty is wrong, because I believe that it was contemplated by the Washington Conference. Mr. Wilford: Japan said so. Mr. Rolleston: That is so, and Singapore was omitted from places where theer were to be no fortifications.