TERRITORIAL FORCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 86, 12 April 1941, Page 6

TERRITORIAL FORCE.

Australia lias decided to limit her divisions overseas to four. In making this announcement Mr. Spender, Minister for the Army, stated that this policy may be reviewed later, but until there is a positive improvement in the Pacific situation demands for men for overseas service must be balanced against requirements for home defence. On a population basis New Zealand has already done much more than Australia proposes to do as her full contribution. The drain on our limited population is having ils effect on the training of territorials for home defence, and though our main line of defence is beyond dispute now in the Middle East it may become necessary for the Government to consider its obligations iu the light of the circumstances which have influenced the Australian Government. Already there has been an enforced postponement of the next territorial training camp, while the training of units already completed was very seriously hampered by shortages due to various causes. In view of the growing difficulty of keeping essential industries going the time is ripe for an announcement by the Government of the value it places upon the territorial force and how the first line of home defence is to be brought, to a state of efficiency—a state which cannot be attained by training units which, in some cases, have been hundreds short of the required number. There is a real and urgent need for a system which, will ensure that when a battalion comes out ol' camp it is a self-contained and efficient unit at full strength. J