NATIONAL DEFENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 194, 18 August 1931, Page 9

NATIONAL DEFENCE.

THE CRISIS OF ITS HISTORY.

.URGENT APPEAL TO YOUTH.

PASSING OF THE SERVICE OFFICER.

(By C. MENT.)

The present time is one of. serious importance for all citizens who recognise their responsibility towards the defence measures of our Dominion. Never in the j history of the forces has so much depended upon exterior influences as far as the efficiency and well-being of our troops are concerned, and it is extremely doubtful if even a small portion of the public is aware of the crisis which confroiits.those in command. After a period of stagnation following the. abolition of training camps last, year'there has been put into operation a. new scheme which calls for the enlistment for the units on a voluntary basis. The modes of comparison which are; employed to judge the "voluntary as.against the compulsory recruitment needmot be enlarged upon, but ■ what_ is of paramount importance is the peculiar arid potent difficulties which to-day beset tiie raising of a volunteer force. The universal .effort which is/being put forward- by all well-wishers for national security is for the creation of a loyal support for the appeal for men and the desire for the force so built up. to be worihy of this support when proffered. Herein lies the first difficulty, for the firstessence of an appeal to recruits is the:assurance that the scheme will be, , worth-the sacrifice of time and interest, and, >eonversely, this appeal of efficiency cannot. be made until the enlistments iaveiecome effective. Adverse Influence. Itisafc this stage that we realise the extreme harm which has been accomplished of late years in this Dominion by: organisations which have had as their objective the criticism and disparagement" of compulsorv military training. This criticism came from various angles, wing mainly a sectarian- agitation against the injury to sensitive consciences- which canje- of the compulsory clauses-in the- Act. But-quito-au im-

portant phase of the criticism came from the pacifist group, who sought the abolition of all forces,.and these people formed a temporary alliance for tactical purposes with those bodies which were genuinely attracted" by the voluntary system. The campaign of criticism was carried into political circles, and whatever influence it exerted, the serious fact remains that there has been wrought in the minds of a large section of the public, and particularly the younger generation, a feeling that military training is mainly unnecessary and somewhat discreditable, at aiw rate in regard to our relationship with other nations.

If might be, thought that, the intense pride which is felt in connection with the war record of our New Zealand troops would resent this cheapening of military service, but, curiously enough, this ver.y real feeling has been exploited by antagonists to defeat the value of the sentiment. The man in the street has been encouraged to believe that the last war was waged to make further wars unnecessary, and that he is entitled to exemption from service by the very excellence of , our troops' achievements. He is further misled by quasi-experts who assure him that even if the fates should deny him this moratorium, there is little need for painful preparation with such proved materials still, fit and willing to take the field.

These sentiments and others similar to them are . at;//the. present time seriously discounting .the genuine patriotism of the New Zealander, and- the difficulty lies .in the fact that nothing resembling this feeling has ever been encountered in the history of the colonial forces, and certainly never in the days of past volunteering. . It has no parallel in the other Dominions,'for there, curiously enough, the racial cleavages or the intruding nationals of an adjoining State have kept,before the public mind the concrete aspects of national feeling and will. Here we have an entity of thought and' tradition which easily forgets the warring forces of opposed nationalism. ..'-..'

This is easily the .most serious handicap the new forces will have to contend with, for the obliteration of unfair prejudice *ind re-creation of ■ healthy enthusiasm is a delicate and trying task. ,

There *ps other aapicts of tlie difficulties' of recruitment which are peculiarly the result of the times. The modern youth, has developed a fine taste in amusement, and whereas in the past he was pleasantly ' attracted : by. the comradeship and interest of drill Mj. is

doubtful if such simple exercises will appeal to him now. This is not so much the case with the artillery and specialist units, where the work is effectively interesting, but the infantry instruction is heavy and tedious and requires untiring application for efficiency. Whereas in the handling of technical equipment there is a satisfactory sense of accomplishment, in the- ranks of the infantry battalions there must be painstaking attention to drill and exercise, which will make the obedient flexible formations of the field force. Of course, much of the infantryman's work now deals with automatic weapons, and to that extent the work has become more picturesque in detail, but the chief task of the foot soldier's training is the subjection of the individual instincts to the control of higher direction, so that the final overthrow of the enemy, the supreme task of the infantryman, is made possible. A Further Handicap. : The disabilities set out above would be quite sufficient in themselves to form an anxious burden upon the minds of recruiting officers, but in addition there is a curious coincidence in the condition of the officer staffs. The period we are now passing through marks a definite phase in the gradation of the service officer, and his attitude to the forces and to himself forms a definite feature of the task in building the new units. Twelve years ago there was demobilised from the Expeditionary Force a staffing of officers sufficient for a service division, all of selected promotion and in a high pitch of training. These officers were drafted into the Territorial Force and their prestige and interest gavo the citizen army an efficiency and discipline comparable with any field troops. This grade of. service officer has new by promotion reached an advanced position in the various units, and beneath them has arisen a new baeis of peacetime trained officers, not lacking in any aspect of efficiency or powers of command, but by reason of an inferiority complex, yet leaving a plane of cleavage between their grade and the service officer. This vane of cleavage now rests at the company commanders, and the task of these commanders is the taking inland of the new voluntary recruits and achieving an obedience and educasatisfying to their seniors, whose standard has crystalised as that of the war service battalion.

The position is one of peculiar dif ranked "file cannot be taken from the 3 umor ranks; or Tvorse confusion wm

ariee from the break in the chain of authority. No compromise in discipline or efficiency can be countenanced, for anything in the nature of an improvisation would take years to obliterate and would form a break in the traditions of each unit, which the present interval has seriously affected. In this connection it is worth noting that never before has there been such a break in the traditions of a regiment. The old volunteer force had its roots in the frontier militia, whose spirit, nourished on the challenge of the native wars, wae of the highest, and this esprit <le corps has descended without break through the different formations to the start of the compulsory service scheme. There has now occuriec , a definite break and'we have to pro-l.ice a new service under strange witn a civilian population seriously concerned with ite own industrial troubles and the trainee precariously holding his employ. At the back n* his mind is an implanted ■ doubt ae .to the. real necessity or.worthiness of his task, asunder these conditions: and with, insufficient finance the new Defence Force,must be created It is certainly the grayest period in the history of national defence.