“R.S.A. Ate Blackmailing The Government"

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28679, 1 September 1958, Page 10

“R.S.A. Ate Blackmailing The Government"

e^r aLana Press Association) / WELLINGTON, August 30. y®ed Services’ Association had tried to The over the question iff New blackmaji/ence force, said the Prime Minister (Mr ZealanJ®y> .in opening the annual conference of Association. as^l defended the Government’s policy of Xiing compulsory military training in favour of force, and said the R.S.A. had followed wrong tactics in trying to coerce the Governjrment. * “No-one with any backbone will give way to blackmail,” he said.

It was unfair to ask MajorGeneral Weir what he thought of the Government policy, said Mr Nash. It was his job, duty, and responsibility to tell the Government what he thought was wrong with the policy but this was to be done inside the Government. Once the decision was made it was the job of General Weir to carry out the Government policy “I have not the slightest doubt that General Weir will carry it out,” Mr Nash said. He told homeservicemen and

the representatives of the R.S.A. who were present that their policy was exactly the same as the Government’s.

In dropping C.M.T., New Zealand was only following the lead set by the British Government. C.M.T. would be done away with in Britain in 1961, he said. Last year steps were taken by the National Government to reduce the numbers. ‘T can rightly ask why was there not agitation then?” he said.

C.M.T. had rendered a splendid service, and in training 60,000 young men had given the country a splendid reserve, said Mr Nash. Well-informed world military opinion was that any future war would be a limited war, and not a global war. “We must have a force which could act immediately. The force in Malaya took 12 months to get away. It is important to have a standing army ready for dispatch to any theatre at once They say we can’t get it; I say we can,” he said. The British commander in South-east Asia (General Testing) commended New Zealand’s determination to provide a modem, mobile, and hard-hitting force, Mr Nash said. He would not say, however, that General Testing was in favour of abolishing CM.T. Statement Read The Government’s White Paper on defence did not satisfactorily cover the position of defence within New Zealand, the president of the association (Mr P. J Hailes) said in a statement reed to Mr Nash. The association urged that consideration be given to the suggestion that a high-ranking and capable officer be appointed to coordinate the operation of both the proposed Regular Force and the proposed Territorial Force, with particular reference to the defence of New Zealand. This suggestion was in addition to the association’s already expressed opinion that C.M.T. was essential to carry into effect the adequate fulfilment of New Zealand’s commitments overseas, as well as the defence of New Zealand, said Mr Hailes.