Housing returning forces will cost N.Z. $1.5m

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33932, 27 August 1975, Page 2

Housing returning forces will cost N.Z. $1.5m

It will cost Slsm to house the New Zealand servicemen in Singapore when they are brought home within the next two years or so.

The ‘’decision in principle’’ I to return the troops was an-1 nounced by the Prime Minis-; ter (Mr Royvling) yesterday. A spokesman for the Min-1 istry of Defence in Wellington said yesterday that slsm 'would allow for the construction of living and working facilities for the Singapore battalion at Linton, Camp. near Palmerston North, and the building of 300 houses, although not all would be at Linton. Building would begin as soon as possible, said the spokesman. It costs about sl4m a year to keep the New Zealand force in Singapore. ssm a YEAR The slsm will not be on top of the present defence budget but will be spent at the rate of ,ssm in each ofthe next three years. Offsetting the cost of the building will be the diminishing cost of maintaining the servicemen and their dependants in Singapore.

The Ist Battalion, Royal | New Zealand Infantry Regi-i ment, will remain intact in Singapore until the end of I 1977. The 550-man unit anal the No 41 Transport Squad-] ron of the Royal New Zea-i land Air Force will then bel

’brought back to New Zealand. The rest of the Sing-f apore-based force will bel run down until the last unit) Jis pulled out in mid-1978. The spokesman said this! planned withdrawal depended on the building in New Zealand being on; schedule and the present | ! state of affairs in South-East] Asia remaining unchanged, j Perhaps the biggest prob-1 lem for the Army will be: the effect of the move on! recruiting. In recent years most recruiting emphasis has been . on its soldiers being able’to I get a posting to Singapore. Now, with only Papakura, Linton, Waiouru, Trentham, and Burnham, the Army , might find it difficult to , maintain its present num- • hers. PARTNERS CONSULTED Announcing the return of; the troops, Mr Rowling said the decision had been made after consultation with New! Zealand’s partners in the. five-Power defence arrange--'

11 ment, and with their concurrence. I The decision did not affect 11 New Zealand's membership ilof the group, which would Ibe continued, including par■iticipation in the integrated •lair-defence system.

| Recent consultations with 'New Zealand’s partners had 1 indicated that the 'present form of support would not be needed much longer, Mr Rowling said. “There are other ways more relevant to their needs in which we can now help, j They are quite agreeable, i therefore, to our planning I for the return home of our (forces,” he said. The strength of the force was about 1000 servicemen and civilians. There were about 1500 dependants. New Zealand aircraft would still be deployed .o

South-East Asia from time to time, and New Zealand ships would spend part of each year there, said the Prime Minister.

Army units would be sent to the region for joint exercises, and to give practical assistance.