AUSTRALIAN NAVY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 265, 18 March 1911, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN NAVY

THE FLEET IN THE PACIFIC. INDIA AND STRATEGY. The extraordinary fatuity of an official statement made some few years ago that a supremo navy in Home waters was the only necessity of Imperial defence, since such a navy could in time reassert the supremacy of our (lag, even though in the meantime one of the oversea dominions, say ' Australia, had been successfully invaded, is not possible to-day —so writes Imperialist in the Morning Post of January 24. When Imperial deI fence, as apart from strictly home defence, comes to be considered it is seen, he continues, that the vital ocean is the Pacific, and not the Atlantic, and that the chief danger is a possible combination of a European Power or Powers with an Asiatic Power. Tile writer continues his argument as follows: With such an alliance the task assigned to the European section of,such an, alliance would be to hold the British licet in home waters whilst the Asiatic section attacked Australia, New Zealand, India, and, possibly, though not probably, Canada. In all likelihood an attempt would be made to stir up local trouble in India as a further means of wounding the Empire. We should then be in a position, judged by the present standing of our power in the Pacific, which would be almost hopeless strategically, since various units of the Empire would be cut off from one another; would be subjected to attack in detail; and would suffer the gravest evils of defeat and invasion. Considering the subject from the point of view of national sentiment as well as strategy, it may be safely said that the occupation, say, of New Zealand, even temporarily, by an Asiatic invader would indict an unhealable wound on the Imperial cause. The Empire must at any crisis be in a position to guard all -its homes.

OUR POSITION IX THE PACIFIC. Fortunately, the position of the Empire in the Pacific as regards possessions and bases is very strong. Wc are able to make the Indiun Ocean a "British lakfl," and doing so can, with an advance base at Singapore, hold command of the whole of the Western Pacific littoral — i.e., that comprising Asia and Australasia. India is the most .wealthy of Asiatic countries. Australia is the greatest field of future development of wealth. South Africa one day will be no contemptible rival to Australia. India, Australia, South Africa—these three are within a triangle, the apex of which is India, and which- can be made, on land arid sea, a huge British fortress. In adI dition there are various advance posts— I Singapore and Hongkong, Fiji and New Zealand—which' give minor bases for I action in, the Pacific. Supposing the miliI tary strength of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to be fully developed (in the. case of Australia and New Zeai land that can be quite safely presumed), Great Britain is at once relieved of all j military anxiety within the area of this ' great triangle. Presuming an Indian . trouble, troops would be promptly availI able in South Africa and Australia. Pre- , suming a native rising in South Africa, | India and Australia could at once pour lin reinforcements. Supposing Australia ior New Zealand to be the point of ( ,threatened attack, their local strength, I could be added to with quick drafts from | India and South Africa. Thus, though a most formidable European-Asian coalition threatened the Empire, in the Pacific I it could look after itself until the crisis I was over. I

SEA POWER IN THE PACIFIC. But this presumes sea supremacy in the Pacific. That at present the Empire, does not pretend to. Confident in the Japanese alliance, Great Britain has very seriously reduced her naval force in the Pacific. The restoration of that force has, however, been determined upon, and is now proceeding on Imperial lines. Australia and New Zealand each make a contribution. From Canada and South Africa there is a reasonable prospect of help if the matter is urged at the coming Conference. But. even so, the largest and richest Imperial territory in the Pacific area of influence is omitted— India. That omission must be remedied if a sound Imperial defence organisation is to be achieved. With the co-opera-tion of India the task of upholding sea supremacy in- the Pacific will be "easy. Without that co-operation the task will be difficult, if not impossible. India at present is burdened with the maintenance of a very large British «arnson. That garrison might be materially reduced if there were a certainty that at short notice white troops could he poured in from South Africa and Australia. The money thus saved might be devoted to the maintenance of a special Imperial Fleet unit, to be known as the Indian Fleet, and devoted specially to safeguarding Indian interests by maintaining the Indian Ocean as a British lake. Doing that it would be in a position to act promptly at any time for the defence of South Africa (one of its bases would be at Capetown); and just as promptly to sally out into the Pacific to confront any enemy threatening Australia or New Zealand. Indeed, it may he said that with such a. fleet in bein« its vigilant eye located at Singapore, the possibility of an Asiatic invasion of the ■British communities in the South Pacific would be once and for all removed It may be presumed that the Imperial Fleet made up of the contributions of India' Australia, New Zealand and (one may hope) Canada and South Africa, would be raised by the British Government to a standard exceeding that of any possible hostile lloet combination in the Pacific 1 here is probably i„ the British dinlonjacy of to-day a frank recognitio? of the iacfc that the alliance with Jap „ i '"eternal and that the position in tl l.icil.c must be calculated on the Empile's strength alone.