THE DEFENCE QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 520, 29 May 1909, Page 3

THE DEFENCE QUESTION.

A NEW SCHEME. (To the Editor.) Sir,—Compulsory training-is being urged. It has become the fashion to relentlessly condemn the volunteer sj'stem. I dissent from, this entirely. The volunteer system has been coolly, calmly, and deliberately murdered. Tho process has been going on for ; : years past. By continuous neglect and brazen blindness the administration of our defence forces has been so ehaniefully managed that those who have supported, encouraged, or helped to gloss over the criminal neglect of the past should be reminded of the fact. My very first speech inParliament was drawing attention to the criminal—for that was the only word to express itmaladministration of the, Defence Department. At last the public is beginning to grasp the truth. I am only afraid that in their haste to mend matters they will bo hurried into some ill-con-sidercd scheme which has not been carefully weighed. . ■ . The compulsory training schemes which have been laid.before the public are financially impossible, and those who are thickest in the fight evidently know that, for never an estimato have they made of the cost. Sir Joseph •Ward- estimates a compulsory scheme to cost .61,080,000 per annum. The Christchurch "Weekly Press" has formulated a scheme which it estima'as is going to cost .£1,119,000 per annum. So. far as I know-Mr. M'Nab has never attempted to go into the question of cost, but it is certain that his proposal cannot be carried ont under .£750,000 per annum. Wβ' shall probably have to pay J-235,000 a year for ten years for pur Dreadnought and iiflO.flOO a year subsidy to , the Navy. Total. .£1,085,000 per annnm for defence. Too preposterous for words, in my opinion. I have always criticised dcfenco matters severely. iTo destroy is easier than to create. It may be reasonably asked .What is your remedy? ■■-.:■■. .' \ ''■ .A NEW SCHEME. : . There is no need for totally destroying a' scheme, because it has been nearly: throttled. " Wo are standing round the open grave of tho volunteer system,"said Mr. M'Nab. "But who dug the grave?" may I ask. What have w« offered the volunteer? That he shall enjoy the privilege of coming down to a drillshed once a.weeK through the. year and putting in in hour.at "Fours right" and "Fours left"' and "About turn," and other equally exhilarating movements. When* that was done he could go home. On Saturdays ho was expected to give up his recreation and undertake a long journey p a'rifle'range, where very, oftou he was able to get off as many us 20 shots at a target, and then he had the long journey home again. . ■ •.. ■..•■■.• ■ Then Easter came, and the volunteer, was invited to go into camp at a season of the year when the weather was least suitable for the purpose. ■ Here. ho: realised—if ho never realised before—the .unutterable inefficiency of the volunteer, officer and the ; Defence "Department methods. The transport and commissariat arrangements were.bungled as thoroughly us possible. In their henrts the'men came homo dissatisfied. No renlwork has been done. The arrangements have been "rotten." Happily, this is not always the case, hut thn exceptions are few. I hsivo seen men go on to a rifln range and never get a shot all the afternoon It was a dny completely wasted: A man. who h.is been bitten in this way. becomes shy hunceforth. No attempt has ever been mado' to make tho -.volunteer system . attractive. The e.hiof defect of tho system is the inability of the officets to oxact discipline. . Can this be overcome? T think it nan. First, let ns make the volunteer.system attractive. T-tit ns pro.yidoytlm volunteers with national gymnasia, where they, can be trained and medically examined, arid advised as part of their course of training. / The effent of this on the-national physique would soon be felt. Let the volunteer keep, his distinctive uniform, instead' of contracting some form of "Vharki mania" by which the Defence >Departmont a few years ngo endeavoured to wipe out the individuality of the boyiC Give, the volunteor plfcnty of ain■rnnnihpn'and see that he fires.it.- Oarryhimto the rifle range /free.and in comfort. When ho gets there, see that he'gets his shootiuu done. Don't lot him come .hack with a clean rifle. As for the volunteer officer, make him efficient by orally-and theoretically examining him once a year, instead of once u lifetime, as at-present. ,1 can pick out, from what tho rank as efficient offir«rs. men' who are ..too. fat to go uphill with their rnrns, too shortsighted to see an enemy at half a mile, and too tired to ciro much abonf anything-in any case:-. Fanny, such men ."commanding" (?) corps. , What of! tlie system that allows it?' (hen i a '.'national shooting day should be set apart-Kmpire Hay Would besuitahle- -and wo sbnuln:;hnv« rfimpotitioiin/in which' mati' wonld lire agaiiist Inian,'. .cnnipu'iiy' against company, and hnttahon-against hntulion, in all the pro-' yinces--e.il on the nno dny. This would excite the keenest public interest. Then, instead of thd fonr days' Easier ciimp;. let us take four days- together enrly in shiiimer-say' the King's Birthday, and (liree- oth«V days gained by dropping such nsoliw. holidays, aa tho three Saints days, when ehops «ro npmi und Ijunks are shut. At.such a. time, inon winilil bo encouraged to go to camp, inii tlmrn would bo some, prospect of getting wune servirauhln work done in the Linger days. Tho Bisley tram should hecomo an institution— not a spasm. •: Mon who shoot nhoiil.l learn-that duicenco and persistence-aro to , be rewarded. ' ' ■

'Then the question arises as to' how (lis'cipline<is.ro be exacted from the volunteers; I should give every man the option of (1) serving Inr three years, before reaching the age of 25 years, as a volunteer, or (2) attending a camp of compulsory training for 18 days a year for 3 years..- I think it would ha a safe estimate to say thot at least 70 per rent, of those eligible would choose the volunteers. ■: Employers of labour would certainly prefer men who rendered military service iu their own time to men ,w.ho required • to he , away from work for 18 days a. year. If a volunteer, was insubordinate, he could be dismissed, and so forced into,'the training camp;' and the prospect of this Should surely ennblo a high' order nf discipline to. lw exacted. Such a proposal, if carried out, should give us a souml defence force without unduly increasing tho.eosl. In tho course of the next ten years wo should bo-.able-to'.arm and equip a'force of 150,000 men trained to some knowledge of the value of discipline and the use of the rifle. ■ In the meantime we must not overlook the necessity of perfecting our coastal .defences, and' building up our ordnance corps, transport and ambulance services. These are branches in which skilled men are required, ami onb field battery and one engineer corps ' u> each provincial district is ansurd. ' . . Many of our guns at present mounted aro obsolete and dnngerons. ' These should be replaced. The State, too, must look to the efficiency of the officers of our force by constantly sending men abroad to acquire a knowledge of discipline and command—men who can handle large bodies of troops with efficient results. The present system of allowing officers to retain their commands long after they have become'inefficient should be stopped. Promotion should be fairly rapid and open to all. Officers and non-commissioned officers must be 'imported from Home in considerable numbers. The Government must breed horses for military purposes. We must have an ammunition factory in the South . Island, so that there can bo -no danger of supplies being cut off from the north.- It - is pitiable to think 7 of : how vie have, moved along year after, year spending money on what is now known as a system of fraud and sham. In and out of the House for the" past five years I have urged vainly for reform. Only Inst, session, in responso to our annual criticism of the. defences of the colony, we wore assured by Mr. M'Nab, then Defence Minister, that all was well. He said (Hansard): "But I bolieve, myself, situated , as wo are at the present time, that with suitable encouragement given to it, the volunteer force, as organised on the present lines,, will be ample for the country's requirements, and : I believe it is within our power to do a great deal to encourage rifle clubs, cadet/corps, and the volunteer service generally." Within nino months of this extraordinary statement, Mr. M'Nab is. travelling through the Dominion, and condemning the very system which onlv last July he described as "ample for the country's requirements." To-day he is urging the country to adopt a scheme which he must know is a financial impossibility, especially at. a time when our increase of expenditure exceeds our increase of revenue, and retrenchment is the order of the day. is a tendency ill' Ilia present time to stake our last sixpence on the supremacy of the Navy. This, to my mind, is a profound error...The greatest service we can render to England is to make ourselves strong enough in defence to enable; the Home authorities to dovote their individual attention to their own needs.' I doii't suggest we should not contribute towards tho Navy. Let me put the matter more plainly.' Wo ought to.be able to put 150,000 fully armed men in the field in time of war. Let us suppose our naval supremacy gone and Germany tho conqueror., Does any sane person imagine that Germany would or could transport an army 13,000 miles strong enough to subdue. 150,000 armed men? i I have heard it said that a raiding squadron would' come down. What wonld it get if it did como down? Of what avail would it be if a raiding, squadron destroyed our four large cities?. What is that - compared M national existence? 'The feat performed by Kngloiid of equipping' and dispatching an annv of MO.OOO men oVcr.6ooo,miles of'ocean to South Africa oall«d forth the comment of the Ruakn Mill.

tary Attache that it was a feat no other nation could have accomplished, and [here was no naval war on at that time. What would be the possibility then'of any European country diepatching an army of at least a quarter o'.' a million men to ■ subdue New Zealand?; Even for tho Eastern Powers, such as Japan, a feat of this sort would seem to be almost too re. mote to come within the sphere of possibility. Ihe scheme of defence propounded in the Commonwealth, viz., an Australian -Navy, has been laughed and snoorcd at, but the future will show its wisdom. It will eventually relieve the Homo Navv of tremendous responsibility and it is the first real, practical indication of a desire on tho part of the colonies to look after themselves so far as they are able. We in New Zealand are unable at present to' touch the question of a.Now Zealand Navy, but in the years to come it is probable we shall find" the colonies of Australasia federated for defence purposes, and that would-be the finest con££ Sution towards Imperial defence that we couH make. Meantime lot us make ourselves as strong as. possible, bo that the task of sub duing us as a people will assume such proportions that -no nation will ever attempt?™ Wt U ? ?«,««»>«• form our second. I must apologise for the Jeneth of this letter T Site.!" " g the proU ™ ° f dScel-I . ■. .' F.M, B. FISHER. Wellington, May 22, 1909.