The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1939. A VOLUNTARY REGISTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 31, 7 February 1939, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1939. A VOLUNTARY REGISTER.

For the cause that lack* assistance. For the irrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance. And the goad that we. can do.

Australia has launcher! ant! is carrying (nit. ari expanded defence programme, at a speed which the responsible Minister dc-cribed a< " practically the maximum that i-< po-sjblc within the next three years without a-rently upsetting the national pconomv nnrl it on ♦ , footing."' The programme requires great expenditiire cm naval, air ami land delence equipment; it requires also —men. Men arp needed nut only for thp uniformed services, but al-o to play predetermined part-* in civilian services of all kind-. The •iiin ... is to-provide for thf part-* that conld he played (in an emergency) by every organisation, industry and citizen, either in re<pect of their normal work in thp life of the community, or by special voluntary effort." To this end the Federal Cabinet yesterday decided on a voluntary register of Australia's manpower and resources. The register is to he voluntary (as in Britain) because it is hoped that the desired results enn be obtained more quickly tinder a voluntary than under a compulsory system. The emphasis again is on speed. Australia is taking another important step forward towards preparedness. All this is happening in a country leas than 1200 miles away from New Zealand, ff. is happening to the accompaniment and under the stimulus of repeated statements by responsible readers as to the urgenev of the need. Those leaders, it must be assumed, have long been fnllv aware o r f the view of the British defence authorities, now publicly and blnnfl.v stated by the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence: "The Dominions rrirr->t be strong enough to defend themselves." What of the New Zealand Government? There can be no donht that it has all the information which rs in the possession of the flovrmmont in Canberra, but it has not acted in any comparable way. Mr. Nash gave a hint to the importers' eoniVivnce that there must be larger expenditure this year on defence, but otherwise the Government gives the impression that it j believes that the scale of defence it deemed i adequate two or three years ago is adequate still. It is time, and high time, for the Government to inform the people of the nature of the information it possesses, and simultaneously to announce a eomprehensive expansion of its defence programme. When the need is known, the people will respond.