Defence cut

Press, 31 May 1982, Page 20

Defence cut

PA Auckland The New Zealand defence forces could be reduced by 150 people to meet the Government’s 3 per cent expenditure cuts, a Defence chief has said; . Commodore D. B. Dometv, assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (personnel), told the annual meeting of the Navy League’s Auckland branch that a reduction of. 200 had been recommended to the Government this year. Later, Commodore Domett said that the figure was more likely to be 150, because he hoped that some of those who would be “lost" could be recruited in future. He said that the manpower reduction was one altema-

tiye offered to help meet spending cuts. If accepted, the reduction would be made where possible by a low intake of recruits, and nonreplacement of defence force personnel who had left, he said. Commodore Domett told the meeting that $3OO million of the $515 million Defence vote was spent on pay and allowances. During the last five years,, the number of people leaving the Services had dropped from 170 a, month to less than 90: a*month., ’ “If we get people asking to. come in, we have to select the numbers because we cannot take as .many as we could before,” he said.