A POINT TO BE KEPT STEADILY IN VIEW.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9559, 4 August 1909, Page 4

A POINT TO BE KEPT STEADILY IN VIEW.

In the course of his speech at the '• Navy League banquet, recently held 1 i:: Masterton, Captain P. H. Colomb, touched upon an important : point, in the event of New Zealand having to protect her trade, when he emphasised that our trade may be harassed from an enemy's isiand base in the Pacific by small cruisers issuing: from that base. The American colonies suffered from the depredation of the privateers using Louisbourg, Gape Breton, as a base. The American Colonists with little or no assistance from the military authorities took it in about 1748. The Lilian trade suffered from the depredations of privateers and frigates using Mauritius as a base. The Indian Government organised an expedition and took the place in 1810, assisted by the Navy. Captain Colomb in the course of his remarks, said that he wanted New Zealanders to look, to the question, and keep in their mind'a eye, the necessity for immediate action by military force, assisted if possible by the navy, I against any island now held by a foreigner, which might become a base to operate against our commerce. He commended to their notice in the two cases quoted, the distances the forces operated from, i.e., from New York to Cape Breton (Louisbourg), and from Bombay to Mauritius. The distance from Auckland to a certain place was not much greater. had shown that they could act quickly, and the reduction, immediately after war , was declared of a certain place, would cause a sensation in Europe and in his opinion would practically secure New Zealand trade routes.