N.Z. Air League Disturbed

Press, Volume C, Issue 29621, 18 September 1961, Page 12

N.Z. Air League Disturbed

(New Zealand ' Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Sept. 17. The primary reason for the establishment of armed forces must be to defend the homeland, said the president of the Air ...eague of New Zealand, Sir Matthew Oram today.

The league was greatly disturbed at the Government’s approach to defence as outlined in the White Paper, he said. “The Defence Committee of [he League,” said Sir Matthew Oram, “will meet next Week to consider the action to be taken, but in the meantime it is considered that reference should be made to some of the more alarming features of the Government’s concept of defence policy. “The Government's review takes a peculiarly inverted approach to this task and ends by a quite intolerable neglect of this country’s basic defence needs. “The Government in the introduction to its White Paper records that hostile action in the New Zealand area in previous wars was confined to attacks on shipping.

“It then proceeds to cut the Navy and the Air Force Maritime capability and is prepared in an emergency to commit New Zealand’s only remaining bomber squadron to action on the Asian mainland, leaving the New Zealand area defenceless.” he said “Economic Pressure" "All this is done under the pretext of economic pressure and yet in the same breath the Government is committing New Zealand to an expensive national service scheme to back up what the White Paper describes as an ‘army larger in effective strength better equipped and readier for swift action in an emergency than ever before ’

‘The cost of equipping this

army must surely be very considerable and one might be forgiven for doubting the wisdom and consistency of the Government's approach to defence policy particularly when the economic future of New Zealand requires a drive for greater production in conditions of an already acute labour shortage. “The Navy and particularly the Air Force are to be cut in order to build up the Army. The Army is the greatest service consumer of manpower. Manpower is New Zealand's greatest shortage. “New Zealand is deluding itself if it believes it will find a sound basis for its armed forces by following a changing threat in South-east Asia from time to time.

“Our services are necessarily small, and if they are to be enabled to serve this country properly, they must be designed first against the stable and lasting tasks that fall inexorably on any sovereign nation.” Sir Matthew Oram said.

“In a growing country in this technological age one would have thought that the Government would have seen far more virtue in sustaining a highly compact technical service like the Air Force than by diminishing the labour force in creating an Army disproportionate to the needs and size of this country. “Grave Dis-service”

“One cannot escape the conclusion that the Government has done a grave disservice to New Zealand tn producing this strangely inverted defence policy which smacks so strongly of an undue army influence in its framework.

“This sorry document setting up predominately army forces in this small maritime nation, set more remote from violence than any other country in the world, should be withdrawn and a proper balance between the services restored,” said Sir Matthew Oram.