1940-09-10 — Page 8

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PAGE 8-HONGKONG DAILY PRESS

SINGAPORE'S DEFENCES WILL BE TOUGH NUT TO CRACK, SAY U.S. NEWSMEN

SINGAPORE, Sept. 1-The party of American newspaper- men touring southeastern Asia aboard a special KNILM plane military left Singapore today for Manila after Inspecting the preparations which make this island the pivot of British de- tences in the Far East, writes Steve Richards in the Manila Bul- letin.

Only by touring the coastal defences as we did yesterday is it possible to gauge the extent of Singapore's preparations against any possible attack.

That Singapore has not been mast unexpected positions and neglected by London despite Bri- several depths of pill boxes. The tain's preoccupation in Europe is precautions extend to all parts of best evidenced by the calm con- the Malay peninsula, Adence of Singapore residents. both European and Asiatic.

PARTY OF 11

IN AN EMERGENCY.

and

HEAVY GUN FIRING PRACTICE

The following Hongkong Goy- ernment Qazette Extraordinary was issued yesterday:--

NOTICE

Heavy gun firing practice will be carried out between the hours of 10 am and 4 p.m. on Septem- ber 11, 1940.

Firing aren "A" will be affected. Heavy gun firing practice will be carried out between the hours 10 am, and 4 p.m. on Septem-

In an emergency, every yard of wire defences would be covered The party of 11 newsmen left by machine gun fire, from the Singapore aboard a KNILM traus- dozens of concrete pillboxes. At port at 6 am. today for Baltk-Changt. an artillery commander papan, where they remain over- showed us 18-pounders, a formid

Firing will take place into an night before continuing to Manila able type of coastal gun for repuls- Monday. Roy W. Howard, the New ing landing attempts: Two-poun-area approximately of a 1,000 yds. the circle with Makong Island as the York

in der publisher. remained

anti-tank guns Singapore and will visit Hongkong famous British 3.7 mm, antiair-centre. Th's circle will be deemed and Manila at a later date. craft guns, with which Singapore to include any land within the At a farewell party last night in is well supplied, also were demon-circle and arrangements for clear ing sanie w be made by the honour of the newspapermen, the 'strated.

Military Authorities. visitors acted as judges in a con- ! "test to discover the "Beauty Queen! of the Orient". As one onlooker observed, the fact that Singapore still has time for beauty contests demonstrates the contention of British officials that no one "has got the jitters."

SINGAPORE'S DEFENCES

Some of the infantry and artillery units are highly me- chanized and well trained in jungle warfare. They could move rapidly to any part of the peninsula which WWS threatened

CAIRO, Sept. 9 (Reuter) The bridge at Awash, 90 miles east of Addis Ababa, on the Djibouti Addis-Ababa Rallway. was badly damaged by, Air Force bombers.

GENERAL

AMERICA NEEDS MORE THAN TWO-OCEAN NAVY FOR DEFENCE

NEW YORK, Aug. 29 More will be needed to protect this hemisphere than the two-ocean navy we have ordered, writes Rear-Admiral Yates Sterling, Jnr., former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Fleet and now United Press Naval Critic, In the Manila Bulletin.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1940.

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We need air and naval bases in Central and South America. the co-operation of Latin-American nations in preventing the establishment of enemy bases in these regions, expert naval staff work to operate efficiently the vast naval force projected, and --at least until this powerful fleet is built-friendly relations. with Japan and Russla in the Pacific.

that The conviction ber 12, 1940.

danger warships yet to be contracted for the Americas if the and built within the next seven Firing areas "D" and "E" will be threatens

aviation Our naval affected.

British navy should meet defeat years,

today is about 2,000 Heavy gun fring practice will is the reason for our aid in war strength

The planes, be carried out from selected posi-materials to Great Britain.

To make this, fleet a formidable tions in the Northern and Eastern calling of a conference of the na-

of this hemisphere at, weapon in a vast area of opera- areas of the Island between the tions hours of 10 am and 4 p.m., on Havana was due to a recognition on, the most expert naval staff of such a threat to our security. work is needed. There is serious September 13, 1940.

doubt whether the navy depart- SEABOARD UNGUARDED For more than a hundred years ment is adequately organized to the United States has looked upon devise and carry through a suc- the royal navy as a defense force cessful plan to give America - German staff work WAS for the Americas: Today our rich sured, security from attack by Atlantic seaboard is unguarded, sea. while our fleet faces the unknown largely responsible for the success the German army's invasion threat of Japanese naval power in

of all Europe. Our naval staff the Pacific Ocean.

We now have awakened to the work must surpass even that, for insecurity of our situation, and our responsibilities are large and

the work እሱ be accomplished ful- have decided to build a two-ocean navy. No longer can the United, enormous. States afford to trust its security in the hands of another nation, If the British navy is eliminate however friendly, and it is deter- ed, the first objective of the dieta mined to own a navy of its own urs may be to establish bases from capable of defending America which to attack our hemisphere.

The recent authorization by Such bases could be set up in the American interests in the Carib-major part of our fleet.

Panama bean, and furnish naval protec-facilities in The Crown Prince of Johore,

Iceland. Greenland,

must be greatly increased. Addi- and who is acting regent during the congress envisions a navy by 1947 Azores,

Bermuda. tion to the Panama Canal. eyeu Sultan of Johore's absence in Lon. consisting of the following fight-Canada,

In the Pacific ocean, outside tional locks for the canal are to maintained Johore's trading ships: 35 battleships, 20 air-Additionally the West Indies, "the

continental limits. we now be built, but this seems like put- carriers. 83 cruisers, 378 Islands of Curacao, Trinidad, our

eggs in one basket. tional hospitality toward Ameri-craft cans yesterday by entertaining destruyers, and 180 submarines, a Barbadoes, Jamaica and Martini have a completed naval base in ting all our the visitors with a Malay curry total of 701 warships. When all que could be claimed by right of Hawaii and are building one at The Nicaragua Canal long" has Unalaska together with a number been recognized as a vital need are completed. our conquest, "tiffin" at his Astana (palace) on these ships

will be about Air bases in Central and South of well-located air bases on Paul- to give additional passage to our between the oceans and a hill overlooking the Straits of warship tonnage Johore and the Singapore. naval 3.342,000. In addition to these America, close to the Panama fte islands and islands of Alaska. fleet

ships there are to be 15,000 naval Canal, might be obtained through These bases will support our naval should be built at once.

The conference of the "American fifth column persuasion upon and air power in the Eastern

been The acting regent told as how airplanes.

governments in sympathy with Pacific. We have no bases, nor Republica in Havana has Johore's military

210 WARSHIPS forces were

Today we have approximately Naz'sm. Such contingencies we are any projected in the western considering a plan to prevent the cooperating with Singapore mili- tary authorities. Johore is of 210 warships of the above types are recognizing and preparing to Pacific. That area is outside our transfer of sovereignty in this fleet's scope of operations except hemisphere." Of course any actiun strategic Importance in guarding in service. Seventy-six warships block. Singapore's defence could be

the "back door approaches to the are under construction or have A feet, even of the size au through the employment of a by the American Republics will be

"Continued on Page 11 Cols 3,4 reinforced by troops and air- great naval base.

been contracted for, leaving 415, thorized, cannot make a success-mobile base carried in ships.

In jungle warfare, a Malay regi- ment recruited from Malays hav-

Bingapore's elaborate defences ing special aptitude for fighting are capped by huge guns, some re- in a country where most troops weapons, would soon be lost, is in caristant puted to be 16-inch which guard all approaches to the readiness to move into action. straits

the island of between

Singapore and the Johore main-

IMPRESSIONS GAINED Impressions of Singapore gained land. These big guns protect the naval air bases from any danger by the visiting newsmen included:

1. The island is crowded with British, Indian and Malay troops;

of enemy naval guns,

are

Four airbelds are strategi- cally located on the island. while infantry, artillery and engineers cantonments concentrated at three points. A girdle of barbed wire thrown around the island's beaches has been completed. Everywhere we traveled around Singapore could be seen preparations for a wide depth of defense--several lines of entanglements, gun pits in the

2. Singapore's defences have not been neglected by London despite the pressure of de- fending England.

3. This fortress would be a tough aut for an enemy force to crack.

4. The ease with which

craft from India and Aus- tralia,

don,

base.

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