N.Z. DEFENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 32, 8 February 1939, Page 12

N.Z. DEFENCE.

VITAL ISSUES. ~" ! MR. SAVAGE'S VIEW. 'NO HYSTERICAL STATEMENT' FULL INFORMATION LATER. "1 know of no special rpasnn why peoplp shoulcl get rxritcd concerning the defence position lit this stajrp." said the Prime Minister, the linn. M. J. Savage, over long distance telephone from Wellington this morning when asked if the Government was enntemplnting finy new measures fur recruiting or for Xnw Zealand's defence. "Whpn Mr. Lyons, the I'rimc Minister of thp Commonwealth, ninde his Rtatement on defence mime time «pi, the Leader of the Opposition endenvoured to have, a special session of Pnrlinnrirnt railed to finrl out what it was nil nbout," ho contiiuipd. "Excitement gets nobody anywhere. The Government is responsible for making nil preparations* for thp defenee, of (he country. I have no spoeinl statement to lunkp on the nupstion. I do not think it would be helpful in any case. "As Rapidly Aa We Can." "We arc moving aw rapidly us we. enn with the defence of the Dominion and that applies to every arm of the service. Wo ran jrnin nothing by making hysterical statementn about the position. At the proper time and in the ordinary

way everybody will know exactly what the Government ie doing. To make statements guessing what is going to happen ia not helpful to the people or to the country.

"Wo have ■ Defence Council in Wellington, over which I preaide. We meet often and dieeuse everything that ie vital to New Zealand in respect to defence. I do not Me why I ehould say anything further on the position. There is nothing more that I can say. I will not go into details as It would not help. I cannot go any farther. 1 fully realise the position." In reply to a question whether the Govrinniiini caucue at Its meeting tomorrow tftttld consider the defence problem, Mr. Savage said that every question that would come before Par* liameat at the nest session would bej dismissed by caucus.