Naval and Air Bases Will Be Strengthened Paris, Nov. 6. Great Britain and the Netherlands are making every effort to reinforce their Far Eastern naval strength to face the Japanese threat, declares M. Rene Labruyere, naval correspondent for "Lo Petit Parisien."
Japanese naval expansion to southeastern Asia and occupation of is ands near Indo-Chinr, are the main reasons for this. Britain is partly ularly bent on protecting the Indian Ocean by closing the Malacca Straits.
'The base at Singapore will completed by the end of 1939 at a total cost of more than £10,000,000, [With @ floating drydock anchored at /Singapore capable of handling vessels up to 95,000 tons, the port will then become the base' for a new formldable Pacific squadron. The total enst for completing or improving naval and alr bases in the Indian and Pacifte areas will amount by 1040 to 230,000,000. Singapore alone will be - equipped with four aerodromes, of which only two exist at present. Hongkong will also be strengthened.
The Netherlands has also made a Jereat. effort to strengthen her posltion in the Netherlands East Indies [The naval budget for 1938 amounts to 37,200,000 guldens, which is double that of last year. Her fleet at present in the Far Fast. of three ferulsers, one division of four destroyers, several gunboats and mine layers, will soon be reinforced by at Toast ' two flottiiia leaders and several submarines.
The Netherlands recently concentrated much effort in building of submarines, her present fleet con~ sisting of 32 vessels, with four more in the yards. One of the most mod= fern of these submarines covered 23,500 miles in a recent cruise to, India. demonstrating the remarkable seagoing qualities of these undersea
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