DOMINION DEFENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 173, 23 July 1936, Page 6

DOMINION DEFENCE.

THE NEED FOR MORE PEOPLE.

j (To the Editor.) His Worship the Mayor is calling the ! attention of the Government to the weakness of the defences of Auckland. If Kow Zealand wishes ever to be able to defend herself against an enemy without outside help, she can only do so by having a population of ten to twenty millions, have her own iron works, great engineering firms, arsenals and aircraft factories. Just now the population o; New Zealand is one and a half millions. If we deduct all under 18 years of age, women, men over fifty and the thousands of unfit, and the thousands of men who would have to be exempted because of the nature of their occupations, how many men would be available for military service? An army, say, of about one hundred thousand men scattered over the principal parts of New Zealand. The only hope for New Zealand to be independent is by increasing its population. And the same applies to Australia, which should take another twenty million people of British stock. Then with Britain supreme in Europe and New Zealand and Australia first-class Powers in the Pacific, we would be a long way 011 the road to everlasting peace. Before New Zealand spends large sums on defence works and other equipment she should co-operate with the Home Government 011 the method of spending the money voted for the purposes of the defence of the Empire. W. MALTBY.