TRAINING OF MEN ESSENTIAL

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22768, 21 July 1939, Page 12

TRAINING OF MEN ESSENTIAL

Urgent Need For Speed Seen VIEWS OF MR COATES Increase in Numbers Advocated (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, July 20. “Nothing could be worse in the event of war than to have men who are not trained to handle the equipment for defence,” said the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Opposition, Kaipara) during the Ad-dress-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives to-nighl. Mr Coates urged all members, quite apart from party politics, to throw their weight behind the recruiting appeal, and emphasised the urgent need for speed. “In miy opinion, the objective of the Government in the number of men it is seeking is not sufficient,” Mr Coates said. “A total of 16,000 men is not enough." A difference of opinion seemed to exist among members of the House concerning whether or not there was at present a crisis, he continued. Surely the answer lay in the fact that nearly £700,000,000 was being spent in Britain, where practically every fit man and woman was being prepared to help in defence in the event of war. The British Empire was calling on its citizens to-day as never before to be ready, and it fell upon members of the House to bring the Dominion’s defence forces to the point where they could consider that they had done their duty. “A duty rests upon every member of Parliament, because he has in his custody the welfare of every man, woman and child in his electorate,” Mr Coates said. “Our duty is to face the fact, and inform the people that there is a danger, and it is up to them to give a hand.” Vpinion. varied as to the likelihood of an attack on New Zealand, he continued, All classes of people, however, were impressed with the speed at which the nations were arming, and the time had come when both the men and women in New Zealand should flock to the colours. So far there had been no appeal to women, but there was a place for them, an important place, if it became necessary to . defend r - country, No Time to Lose

“Because we of the Opposition believe in universal training, and the Government holds u different opinion, we cannot afford to argue, and we have to ge. on with it,” Mr Coates said. He claimed that he could speak for 100 per cent, of the Opposition members when he said that they were all doing their best to get men for the colours under the voluntary system. “Let us tr" the voluntary system if we cannot have the other,” he said. "Let us make the best of it. We cannot afford to lose any time.” , M£;vpdptes sa|d : ho -one could say with * certainty whether bir not New Zealand would be subjected to an attack. It should not be forgotten that the country was in the south Pacific, and if a country believed that it could take another by force, nobody could say that the attempt would not be made. He believed, however, that New Zealand would not be cut off in the event of war as the convoy system, ;so brilliantly successful. in the last war, would be used again. “The Prime Minister tthc Bt. Hon. M. J. Savage) had' said that if the United. Kingdom was in ‘ trouble New Zealand was in with Her, he added. Surely, (therefore,'there should be adequate preparation to enable New Zealand to do her share... v;; i* Mr Coates, emphasised. that Opposition eriticism ori the subject of defenee Was mot,'aimed at embarrassing the' Minister for Defence. It was intended/ to be helpful. and to focus ppblle'attention on the urgency of the position. He suggested, however, that the Government might take the country rdtijerripbre l into its confidence concernlngf the degree to which it was following the advice of the experts thSt/had been consulted. :Mr JV O’Brien (Government. Westland)': You mean, spill the secret Information. , , . Mr Coates: No. Not that. This House has on its shoulders the responsibility of advising the citizens. We must not shirk it. Politically it may be unpleasant on some quarters; but we cannot help that. Returned men can tell the country that it is impossible to have' too much training. Mr Coates concluded bv advocating an increase in the number of men sought by the Government, and said that 30,0ti0 would not be too many.