On the Defence Department

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3135, 13 July 1917, Page 6

On the Defence Department

Mr. T. A II FIELD (Nelson) .said he had been glad to hear from the Prim-j Minister that preferential trade was growing in favour at Home, because l.e believed it would lie for the good cf tho workers of England. Referring to the shipping merger, he said that he had always urged the purchase of the Union Company, a company which controlled every small shipping company in the country. These small companies were allowed to exist on sufferance. New Zealand would yet have to oivn ite ships for coastwise and overseas trade, and it was a question, whether it would be wiser to buy tho Union Company's ships now and take up tho trade with them, or to buy better ships later and fight a way into the trade. Next f o Uiat of Gormnny, Hie greatest menace threatening NewZealand was the invasion of the Meat Trust. No calamity that had ever befallen, this country would be comparable with what would happen if the country was tightly gripped by the Meat Trust. Ho made several complaints against the Defenco Department for parsimony in treatment of soldiers, especially those proceeding on leave by steamer. Another of his complaints was in regard to tho dissatisfaction of the officers and men of the Expeditionary Force becauso of General Godley. Ho believed tint the disliko and distruet felt by the men wns because of General Godley's treatment of the men of tho Main Body, and the officer declared that there was favouritism shown by him. Why did not the Government get rid of General Godley? He thought the demand of the men of tho Second Division for an early medical examination was well justified. There was a reasonable enough lack of confidence in the medical examination, because of the rejection of men perfectly fit becauso of some fancied or very slight and wholly innocuous physical defect. Keep Up Reinforcements Air. E. NEWMAN (Rangitikei) spoke first on one or trco remarks made by Sir John Findlay. As- to the honourable member's request for the publication of the reports of the Efficiency Board, was it not a fact that some of these reports wero founded on evidence that was confidential? If the evidence was given in confidence it should not bo revealed to the House. He would not traverse all that the honourable member had said about the acquisition of land for soldiers' settlements. He believed that the fact was that so much land had been offered to the Government that no necessity had arisen for compulsion. Alost of it had been bought for less than private members could liavo secured it for, and often at loss than valuation. "With all the, land purchased in his electorate the Government had made a very good bargain.

Mr. Nowman went on to refer to the question of whether wo should continue to send reinforcements at the sarao rate as now. Hβ pointed out that it would be eleven months before we should reach the maximum of 100,000 eet by some honourable members, and it would be twelve months before we had exhausted more than the first two classes of the Second Division. If New Zealand were to cease sending men, what effect ivould it have in Germany? It would hearten the Germans moro than a victpry on the Western front. The Germans were most anxious to learn something of the meas- ™° °l ° UT onduranc e and man-power. J he eilect on our own troops at the front would be disheartening, and the effect all over the Empiro would be demoralising. Mr. Newman referred to the promise that we would support tho war-to our last shilling and last man. Wo should not rely on any other country to undertake our duty. We were fighting for our' liberty. Death would bo preferable to (lerman rule. Twenty-one members of the House had sent sons to the front, that was a record of which tho House had a right to bo proud. It was important that wo should increase our production, but he believed it was more important to send men than food. He believed that wo should send tho Fecond Division at the proper time, but that we should provide adequately for their dependants. For, his own part he would vote to send from this country every man who could carry a vide, and lo tax until every man in this country was poor. He thought that nothing -was too much for New Zealand to do to prevent tho German flng from ever flying over this country. He did not agree with the so-called representatives of Labour in tho House that workers were opposed to conscription. The truth was that tho workers now realised that conscription was a "Jeiaocratic anil fair measure. New Zealand had an individuality'of its own in the Umpire. Hβ believed that thero was a Stronger bond of affection between onr country and tho Motherland than between any other two parts of tho Empire. Oue of our characteristics n* a people was intense 'loyalty to the Empire, and he hoped New Zealand would never reduce reinforcemenle. Re hoped the Second Division would never be called up, and he thought there was a good probability that only the first two classes would be needed. But if more classes had to be sent the country would send them.

The House rose at 10.15 p.ni,