DEFENCE OF NEW ZEALAND

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22591, 22 December 1938, Page 5

DEFENCE OF NEW ZEALAND

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TRESS Sir,—lt speaks volumes for the indifference of the people of Christchurch on matters relating to defence that nothing was ever done during the last few months when on the very brink of war. The Mayor took no action to call a meeting. I understand that he is calling one at 4 p.m. tomorrow. How people can sleep so soundly while so little is being done to defend this land astonishes me. Public men know what enormous value our land, houses, etc., are apparently to -the last sixpence for taxation purposes, but when that is settled the matter of defending that valuable property is lost sight of. I notice that all these local bodies have the exact value for all property for rating purposes, but not one of them ever thinks for one moment of the great responsibility of seeing that that property is adequately defended. I mentioned in a previous letter a method by which these councils, in co-operation with the Government, could work for and accomplish the training of every fit man in the course of a single year, but everybody's idea is that it is not the duty of county councils but the Government. Do not members of these councils realise that this property undefended must be a great temptation to an invader? I noticed a few lines once in your paper that in one of the small towns they were very proud of the fact that they had a platoon of infantry, but months passed by without any further news of it. However, after patient waiting, the news arrived that this platoon had actually held its first parade in the New Year. It was either June or July. Your readers can draw their own- conclusions as to the efficiency of our methods of defence. Where would business or sport or anything else get if such apathy were shown in those' directions? The voluntary system is a total failure, and the sooner the fact is recognised the better. I say it is a failure because it exempts the following classes of men, who all share in the benefits of the sort of privileges we enjoy until we are overcome by an invader. The voluntary system exempts: those who are too busy in business, those who are too busy in sport, those who do not fancy that they would make good soldiers, those who are too indifferent to be bothered, those who do not believe in war but share the benefits of it.

It is totally unfair that these classes of men should be exempt at the expense of the few ardent spirits'who may in the course of time be called upon to fight for them. A matter deserving of attention is the sort of war vessels which comprise our navy. Has not the time arrived when we should sell everything we can spare and invest in one or two pocket battleships, instead of trusting our fortunes to vessels of a type which, by reason of the smallness of their guns, could not approach near enough to a modern ship to fire at it?— Yours, etc.,

E. A. DENNIS. Hororata, December 19, 1938.