DOMINION’S DEFENCE

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 152, 24 March 1938, Page 13

DOMINION’S DEFENCE

Further Provision Thought Necessary PUBLIC MEETING TO-NIGHT In view of the Serious international occurrences of the last few weeks, it is expected that considerable interest will be. shown in the public meeting which will be held at the Wellington Town Hall to-night under the auspices of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Defence League. The organisers of the meeting consider that there has never been a time when it was more imperative for the Dominion to have the strongest possible defences.

Explaining the events that have led up to the calling of the meeting, the Hon. W. Perry, president of the league, said yesterday that the movement for its establishment commenced in 1936 among people who realised that the international situation.had been deteriorating for years. The movement started in Auckland and the league was formed on a provisional basis in that city and in Wellington, a certain amount of support being given to it in Christchurch and Dunedin also. A Wellington executive was appointed and later representatives from it and the other centres met in Wellington and a national executive was set up. The framing of the objects and the appointment of officers had been provisional so that those who joined later might share the decisions on those matters. “In 1937 it was decided that the league should wait until after the deliberations of the Imperial Conference of that year on Empire defence before developing further its organisation,” said Mr. Perry. “Subsequently the Government announced a scheme for the reorganisation of the defence forces of New Zealand, particularly the territorial forces, and it was decided to give that scheme a fair trial before taking any further action. It is now felt that, in view of the rapid deterioration of the international situation, even since 1936, further action is necessary and that the people of New Zealand must be told of the danger confronting the British Commonwalth of Nations so that, realising that danger, they may assist in the direction of taking adequate steps to meet it. “The foremost, plank in the league’s policy is that it is strictly non-party in a political sense, since it emphatically believes that the vital question of defence should be above party politics.”

Events of the last flew years are now thought by its sponsors to have justified the formation of the league. Since 1930, it is stated, there has been a progressive decline in the efforts of ‘the League of Nations to settle international disputes. In 1931 Japan, then a member of the League of Nations, invaded China, a fellow-mem-ber of the league; in 1935 Italy, while still a member of the league, invaded, conquered and annexed Abyssinia; in 1936 Germany re-entered the demilitarised zone in the Rhineland, a breach of the Locarno Pact; in 1937 Japan invaded China, where the conflict still rages, and only a few days ago Germany annexed Austria in breach of an agreement made with Austria as recently as 1936. “The rise of dictatorship countries is a challenge to the democracies,” continued Mr. Perry, “and in a war in which the dictatorships were allied against the democracies Great Britain might be compelled to fight on several fronts at the same time, in which case the position of the Dominions would be extremely precarious. It appears that in the discussions at the Imperial Conference on Empire defence Great Britain told the representatives of the Dominions that, in the event of war, she would have her hands full in Europe and the Dominions would have to improve their own defences, either for the protection of their respective countries in the. event of attack or as contributions to the common pool of Empire defence. The meeting to-night is being called so that the Defence League can explain to all citizens the views of its members on these vital subjects.”

TERRITORIAL AIR FORCE

Minister Explains Plans

By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedin, March 23. The Minister of Defence, Hon. F. Jones, stated to-day that the Government had recently been considering the organisation of a territorial branch of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and had decided it should consist of four squadrons based on the four main centres. The first of these squadrons had already been formed at Wellington, and the formation of the remaining three would be taken in hand in the order, Christchurch, Auckland, Dunedin. It was hoped to start recruiting within the next two months. Each squadron would have an eventual strength of IS officers and 120 airmen, and would be equipped, in the first instance with Baffin aircraft, of which 27 had been obtained and were now being assembled at Hobsonville. Further aircraft of similar types would be purchased as they became available in order to complete the equipment of the squadrons. Squadrons would be trained mainly in reconnaissance and other coastal defence duties, but in addition the Dunedin squadron would undertake specialist training iu co-operation with army units. This essential branch of air activities was not at present represented iu the Dominion, and the formation of the Dunedin squadron would mark an important advance. The personnel to man the squadrons would require a considerable amount of specialist training to enable them to handle the aircraft and equipment,* and a suitable training centre would be established in each city where evening instruction would be given. A small permanent staff would be available to provide the necessary help, but if squadrons were to reach a satisfactory standard of efficiency without undue delay, the services of men who had already had experience lu some, branch of engineering would be essential. If the record of the Wellington squadron was to be taken as a guide there should be no lack of volunteers prepared to place their time and skill at the service of their country. Service in a squadron would provide an opportunity for obtaining an interesting insight into the problems of aeronautical engineering.