Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1950. NEED FOR DEFENCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 124, 10 March 1950, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1950. NEED FOR DEFENCE

The visit to Ashburton to-mor-row of the Royal New Zealand Naval Recruiting Board, which is endeavouring to induce young men to take up a career in the Navy, draws attention to the need for armed preparedness in the light of existing world conditions. It cannot be denied that there is, to say the least, a state of uneasiness among the nations, and all the talk about the atomic and hydrogen bombs has not improved matters. .The state of Britain s armed forces was revealed in the, estimates presented in the House of Commons this week, and they did not make very palatable reading. The annual bill for all services is a huge, one, but unfortunately it has to be so. In some respects it is surprising that it is not larger, but Britain is. in the unenviable position of having to maintain reasonable forces at home and maintain fairly large contingents abroad, and at the same time utilise all the manpower she can possibly secure to boost production. With the Soviet threat constantly in view, the Western Powers are compelled to keep defence matters constantly in mincl, and particularly does this apply to the United States. President Truman has said that never in time of peace have the defence of the United States been so good. The purpose of this is apparently to allay criticisms that cuts in expenditure are .reducing the efficiency of the armed forces. Be that as it may, comparisons with the past, however favourable are not in themselves assurance that American or any other forces are sufficient for the tasks ahead. America could reduce her armed forces by more than half, and they would still be better than those of other peacetime periods. Her military history has a painful similarity to that of Britain. Neither nation has ever been read) for war at the outbreak, and both have suffered _ disastrous blow s while marshalling their strength. America has been tc>cl by one of her own, and the worlds, best strategists that the first 60 days of a new world war will decide the winning group. Put bluntly, unless America and her allies can hold the armed might of the Soviet bloc within the first two months of a war, .they may go ,down in defeat, That is a glim prospect, but it must be faced. So far as New Zealand is concerned, she is not in a position to provide all the forces necessary to meet an emergency,, .buffishe is making an effort ten build up forces which would be reasonao]y trained and ready to put in the field fairly quickly. She has a part to play as a member of the British Commomvealth, and she cannot lean on the other members. Some idea of the work of the Navy was o-iven in our news columns yesterday, and it is to be hoped that the Naval Board, when it comes to-morrow, will not secure a nil response from this district.