IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 220, 17 September 1930, Page 6

IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

- ' ' : """ '■' ■ '■ ■•..■'■■-■■■.:'■■ NAVAL DEFENCE. . PRESENT POLICY UNSATISFACTORY." ' (To the Editor.) Thanks are due to you for your tinielv" article re our costly Navy. Whatever'differ.'' ences of opinion may exist regarding our obli" ,gations in the way of naval defence" jio one will query the necessity of assurin* ourselves that we are contributing s<w efficient aid in Empire defence and also that public moneys voted for naval. expenditure are being administered as economically as' 1 possible. Inaugurated ten years ago with/the- ' idea of recruiting New Zealand boys to be' stationed in New Zealand waters, thus p ro . | viding employment for oiu own growing.population and keeping wibhin the Dominion sucK moneys as may be required for the upkeep'" of our quota of the Navy, the.New Zealand"-. rating is at present costing the people of this country some £500,000 per annum. Of tie '■■'■. men comprising its personnel, some 380 (and • of these eighty are at present in training fti' England) are New Zealandcrs, the reinainin* ■ ' two-thirds, amongst Avhom are the ihighest° v " paid meii on the staff, being Imperial recruits. That is to say w< are enlisting two-thirds of our staff in England and transporting .them some 12,000 oaiiles, together with such supplies and stores as. are-required for the upkeep of ; ' the two D class cruisers' comprising our unit. The position as far as the New Zealand recruits themselves are concerned is far from. . Satisfactory considering the large amount of. public moneys required to train them. Tiey are drawn in the main from fanning districts, and the Navy presents an agreeable change from the 'monotony of fant lire, to" these ,bovt but, unfortunately, the novelty soon 'wears' off, the average term of' service' being fire years, at the end of which they buy their ', discharge and return in'most, instances-to agricultural pursuits. Our Navy is hopelessly hero as far ,ae protecting'our own coastline is , concerned, and useless as a part of the British Fleet on account of its isolation and consequent inability to participate in naval manoeuvres. Previous to tie formation of the New Zealand station a direct subsidy was forwarded to Great Britain; • enabling her to maintain a unit which would he. of some use in time of war.- A reversal to ■■ this method, say a subsidy of £200,000 per annum, would be nlore acceptable to Great Britain and would relieve the taxpayers .of New Zealand of an unnecessary expenditure . of .£300,000 per annum. JUTLAND.