Mr. Shakespeare added that the "United Kingdom Government would welcome any steps taken to increase the strength of the Royal Australian Navy, and Australian participation in the eamon task of Imperial defence."
Commander Fletcher then asked it the Naval Staff wore satisfied that, in the event of capital ships becoming necessary for the defence of Australia in the near future, ly would be possible to. provide them, Mr, Shakespeare said that the Australian Minister of Defence, in a recent speech, declared that Australia looked to the United Kingdom emergency 40 station at Singapore a leet strong enough to safeguard the Empire's interests in the Eastern Hemisphere. That was an accurate statement of the position, Mr. Shakespeare added,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.