"MUCH SUPERIOR."

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 165, 15 July 1939, Page 12

"MUCH SUPERIOR."

VOLUNTARY SYSTEM. MILITARY TRAINING. OOVIRMMENT CRITICISM. •By Telegraph.—rurllnruentnry Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The voluntary territorial system was nuch superior to- compulsory service, •(intended Mr. T. H. McC'omb* (Governnent, Lyttelton) in the House of RepreipntiitivH yesterday. Those who •dvo•jited conscription were obstructing the defence of the Dominion, he said. The Ooverntnent had decided that New Zealand should be defended by the volun-' *«iT system, but the National party and the Defence League wore declaring that It was a failure. There was no real enthusiasm in compulsory military training. Mr. McCombs snjrjrested that the Minister of Railway*, Mr. Sullivan, might encourage volunteering by the granting »f free railway passes for a fortnight annually to efficient volunteers. The Government was not giving enough publicity ttt its defence preparation*. Many •xaniplvH could be seen, even by overseas visitors, but the newspapers were not allowed to describe them. Mr. McCombs added that the Oppoai'ion knew that )U costs reduction policy -neant unemployment, because wage "cuts" were inevitable. The people of New Zealand would not trust the National pHrty with the Treasury Benches njrnin. They remenil>ered that the prerions Government, by its propaganda, had risked their savings in the Post Office Savings Bank, and encouraged the flight of assets from New Zealand. For political reasons they had risked the prosperity of the Dominion. TTt» al«o blamed the actions of the previous Government for the drift of workers from the country to the cities, beeniwe of a higher rate of sustenance that had been pnid in the towns. The country pnrt of the Lyttelton electorate hnd been striped bnre of workers lweause of that policy. The Government agreed that workers were needed in the country, but the farmers themselves were the only one* who could train them.