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EMPIRE DEFENCE.
SIR M. HANKEY'S TOUR.
Secrecy Criticised in England.
LONDON, Jan. 3.-Although Sir
Maurice Hankey (Secretary of the Com-
mittee of Imperial Defence and of the
British Cabinet) is not due to return from
Canada at the conclusion of his tour of
the Dominions until Sunday, most of
the newspapers are already giving promi-
nence to speculation on the outcome of
the tour, which the "Daily Herald" de-
scribes as foreshadowing a full scheme
of Empire defence.
[In the course of his tour, Sir Maurice
visited South Africa, Australia, New Zea-
land and Canada. He visited Australia as
an official guest of the Commonwealth at
the Melbourne centenary celebrations.
During his trip he stated on several oc-
casions that he was prepared to discuss
any subject which any of the Dominion
Government's might raise, and he at-
tended the Australasian defence confer-
ence at Wellington.]
The "Daily Herald," (which is a
Labour paper) states: "The Labour Party
will make another attempt to secure from
the Prime Minister (Mr. MacDonald) a
frank statement about these mysterious
transactions. In the meantime, if Mr.
MacDonald does not expedite his state-
ment, the public in the Dominion will
soon, know far more about the mission
than even the House of Commons." In
a leading article, the "Daily Herald" re-
calls Mr. Baldwin's appeal to Germany to
tear away the veil of secrecy surrounding
her military preparations, and it adds:
"It is stupid, mischievous and intolerable
that Sir-Maurice Hankey's perfectly sens-
ible and proper mission should be given
the appearance of a furtive, conspiratorial
errand by Mr. MacDonald's pitiful at-
tempt to persuade the House of Com-
mons that he has been on a private holi-
day. The latest reports about the mis-
sion make it imperative that the veil of
secrecy be torn aside and that the Gov-
ernment give the world a full and frank
statement of the defence preparations Of
the Empire."
The "Manchester Guardian" sarcastic-
ally contrasts Mr. MacDonald's emphasis
that Sir Maurice Hankey's visit had no
political significance with reports that are
current with reference to his recom-
mendations. It goes on to say: "Whether
they should or should not have conscrip-
tion is a matter for Australians them-
selves to decide. Doubtless the Austra-
lian Government asked Sir Maurice Han-
key's opinion, but it is clearly a serious
thing and a most important departure
in policy for the secretary of the com-
mittee of the Imperial Defence to advise
Australia, as he is reported to have done,
to reintroduce conscription. One must
ask in what capacity and as the repre-
sentative of whom or of what body of
j opinion Sir Maurice Hankey may be
speaking."
Captain Liddell Hart, the British
military critic and historian, wilting in
the "Daily Telegraph" with reference to
the speculation on Sir Maurice Hankey's
recommendations, expresses the view that
Australia's immense coastline makes any
solution of the defence problem depend
on mobility." Hence the breaks in rail-
way gauge are a serious hindrance to the
rapid switching of forces towards a
threatened point," he says. "The Royal
Commission of 1921 estimated that the
cost of unifying the gauges would be
£57,000,000, so there is more hope in the
organisation of the Australian military
forces on a mechanised basis, assisted
by an extension of the road system. The
isolation of Port Darwin raises doubts of
the value of expenditure upon permanent
defences there. Newcastle is another
tempting bait. In comparison with the
need for mobfiity, compulsory military
training is a secondary matter, as the
use of large quantities of infantry can
hardly be visualised."
Mr. and Mrs. James Dyer, who came
to Australia from Paris tb attend the Mel-
bourne centenary celebrations, are travel-
ling by the steamer Oronsay, which ts
expected to pass through Fremantle from
the Eastern States next Monday. They
will disembark at Palma, Majorca, in the
Mediterranean. Mrs. Dyer, who is a sister
of the former Lord Mayor Of Melbourne,
Sir Harold Gengoult-Smith, took , several
gifts to Melbourne, including a bronze
palm, which was placed in the Shrine of
Remembrance by Májor-General Sir
Alexander Godley. The palm was sent by
the Baronne de la Grange, who was
known to soldiers as the "mother" of the
British Army in Prance.
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