Defence cost problem

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32966, 12 July 1972, Page 2

Defence cost problem

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 11, Continued restraints on defence spending will have serious consequences, the Minister of Defence (Mr McCready) says in the annual report of the Ministry of Defence. tabled in Parliament today. This has been made clear to him from visits to service establishments and in discussions with senior officials. The restraints of the past year have been irksome and frustrating, he says in an introduction to the report. “The most serious result of the restraints has been a deterioration in the maintenance of buildings and real estate and a falling behind in the provision of new barracks accommodation, housing and amenities.” Mr McCready says. “This means a backlog of work must be tackled to create the environment needed for adequate recruitment and retention in the armed forces.” Taking barracks accommodation as an example, Mr McCreadv says he cannot tolerate the appearance of a “double standard”—one for servicemen and another, much higher, one for other State servants. “Many single career servicemen are living in accommodation which would not be tolerated bv civilians and which is much inferior to single accommodation provided for other State servants. such as nurses, or for students in hostels buih with

Government funds,” Mr McCready says. In recent years the domestic environment of troops has had to take second place to the maintenance and equipping of effective operational forces, he says. “With last year’s changes in our operational deployments we have a breathing space in which to devote more resources to our domestic problems.” However, immediate spectacular changes cannot be expected, Mr McCready says. He intends to plan a significant improvement in the next few years. STRENGTH OF FORCES The strength of New Zealand’s regular military forces

dropped by 355 to 12,637 in the year ended March 31, according to the report. Both the Army and the Air Force experienced reductions in their numbers. The regular Navy’s strength at March 31 was 2966 (2941 the previous year), the Army’s was 5449 (5638) and that of the Air Force 4222 (4413). There were 1433 volunteers serving in the Territorial Force, compared with 1504 a year earlier. The total strength of the Territorial Force was 11,405 (11,527). Enlistments over the last two years have been some 400 below the figures for 1968-70, the report says.