By this time most members of the British national societies will have received a circular asking their, views on the question of the Singapore base—whether they are im favour of Groat Britain proceeding with it or nob and why they hold thir particular opinions. The Navy League has been instrumental in securing the widespread publicity which the circular thus reesives, aid in To. ing #0 it hay dono, a courageous and admirable piece of work. People who have lived out in th Far East and travelled its trade outes may be expected to envisago the question better than the man who-hag never been outside Europe and their opinion, whichway ib may go, deserves con loration from the authorities cummst at the circular france, Une the cieolae not be cast asides, but that a full and free expression of opinion may be given. While it is nob our wish to attempt to influence opinion on the matter, we may point to one or two of the facts Of the case and above all suggest that people answering the question moy hold themselves free from all ontimentality. There must be none of that latter quality when, discussing any military question which this undoubtedly is, but we must consider all the possibilities The first point to remember is how tio different trade routes in the Enat radiate from Singapore, and then to rea-Vizo the position of neutrals in the Great War, how, for instance, Dutch and Norwegian abeamers were sunk. We may soft io find ourselves, neutrals with _an unscrupulous belligerent in. these waters who will carry out, the same police, but he Will do only if we have no means of protection, With our Fleet based on Singapore he would not dare to do 50, and our ships would sail 39 oceans free. Wo shall, doubt loss, be. asked. who are the' Powers likely to be engaged in. such war, and to this the reply is that riy' military, authority. who docs nob Yaily take into his calcula, tions the "hypothetical enemy"
inn very bad way. "Hypotliet-Rite sooner or Infor fecal enemies" in the Far East have been freely and openly discussed by all the authorities in the world, aula we need not go into that aspect any mote, except orfo respect. Japan—onq of the category—is said to be down and out because of the unhappy entthiquake Wisastor, "bub itis anita arguable that this theory is only on-n par with that of the economists who said that. a European war could not Inet longer than three months because the nations would he bankrupt. Lact us Temamber 1914.18 in this respect. Thoro is one other point, the. off in the Dutch Indies, which it Ihelieved any nation engaged ino Pacific war would hasten to seize. Tf neutral and with a base Singapore, Great Britain could forbid such a raid, but without fleet there she. would be impotent, The fact is, according. certain of the authorities, "that ith a base she could localize a conflict, "tehile without it there might readily be another world conflagration, worse than the last, for not only Asia but, Europe would be involved in it. The ther poing of view ly that by fortifying Singapore we are simply: provoking. the animosity of other nations. and that ix not to be ignored. Great Britain, tiowcover, in the past hag not benefited by any poly of unproparedness, and has the time come to try it again? Tt'is s matter of opinion, just as much as the correctness of the assumptions stated above must be.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.