THE NAVY AND THE EMPIRE.

Wairarapa Age, 2 March 1927, Page 4

THE NAVY AND THE EMPIRE.

COMMANDER MARSDEN’S LECTURE.

The St. Matthew’s Parish Hall was comfortably filled last evening when Commander Arthur Marsden. R.N. lectured, under the aupices of the local branch of the Navy League, on “The Navy and the Empire.” The Mayor (Mr. T. Jordan) presided. Commander Marsden is an excellent speaker, and from the first he very easily gained and held the attention of his audience. Although he exhibited full mastery of his subject, his style was simple, breezy, and unaffected. Besides touching on many aspects of present-day naval policy, he told some stirring stories of naval action and achievement, notably that of his own experience at the Battle of Jutland. On that historic occasion, the destroyer Ardent, under his command, ran into a German battleship division' during the night of May 61, 1916, and in less than five minutes was destroyed by enemy gunfire Commander Marsden being the sole survivor. Before the Ardent met her fate, however, she sank a German battleship with a torpedo. Without opening up controversial questions, Commander Marsden set very clear emphasis on the indispensable importance and value of the Navy to the Empire, and not least to an outlying Dominion like New Zealand. He invited his hearers to consider where this country would have been in the Great War without the protection of tho Navy. Not a soldier could have been sent overseas, and the Dominion would have been exposed to iiresistibe attack. Commander Marsden powerfully urged the claims of the Navy as a great force for maintaining peace. In the Navy ho said, they prayed every day that they might be able to keep the seas free for all lawful occasions. Commander Marsden was listened :g with close hltenricr and obvious appreciation, and at many points his lecture was warmly applauded.