LAND FORCES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 110, 5 November 1937, Page 10

LAND FORCES

THEIR BASIC NEED

MORE MEN REQUIRED

SERVICE A DUTY

When the Army Board Bill was before the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon more than one speaker stressed the need for more recruits for the land forces if the volunteer system was to succeed, and the duty of the.general public as well as the j young men who were prepared to serve was emphasised. Legislation was useless unless men could be found who were willing to serve, it was stated, and sufficient volunteers would not be forthcoming until every responsible person realised that preparation for the defence of one's country was an honourable and worthy calling. When moving the second reading of the Bill, the Leader of the Council (the Hon. Mark Fagan) said that the sole purpose of the measure was to establish tne Army Board so that the land forces would be controlled in the same way as the Navy and the Air Force. To some extent the Bill was a validating measure as the Army Board had already commenced to function and had held a number of meetings. VALUABLE MACHINERY. The Hon. F. Waite (Otago) said the Bill was a valuable piece af machinery, but it would not be of any use if men were not available for the Army, and they were not going to get men until every responsible person realised that preparation for defence was an honourable and worthy calling. It had been the practice of some persons to say that those who took an interest in defence activities were the tools of the capitalists, but those New Zealanders who had taken some interest in defence in the past were. ordinary citizens who had also taken their full share in. the life of the community. While there was no need to glorify war said Mr. Waite, the soldier should receive justice. The Navy and the Air Force both had an appeal that did not 'exist in the Army, and boards and generals were of no use if there were no men in the Army. There was a definite lack of men offering at the present time; he had seen a regiment on parade and there were more men in the bands than in the ranks. Money spent on such training was money wasted. If an army was necessary in New Zealand, he added, the whole position should be examined to see what could be done to get more men into the ranks. "I don't object to pacifists," he said, "but to the people I call apathists. I can put up with those who have opposing views and I respect them, but the apathetic persons who have no views at all worry me. ADEQUATE DEFENCE. Apparently some people tried to foster the idea that the League of Nations was against adequate defence, Mr Waite said, but adequate defence was mentioned in article after article of the Covenant. Any country that had a high standard of living had something to protect, and if New Zealanders wanted to maintain their standard oi living they would have to take practical steps to protect it. Other people claimed that the Army was. the tool of the capitalist, Mr. Waite added. '.'■., The Hon. T. Bloodworth (Auckland): It very often is. . ' That. might be a very good gospel, Mr.. Waite replied, but the, greatest Communistic country in the world had the largest, army and air force, and other armies had been built up' because of the threat of that army in a country where there were no capitalists. • There was also a lot of talk about compulsory training, Mr. Waite' said, but he could not understand how anyone who supported compulsory unionism to protect the standard of living of : the worker could object to compulsory military training to protect everything in the country. However, he did not think compulsory training was necessary; what was wanted was training for men who would be the specialists of an army in the time of war. If compulsion was necessary in time of war everything should be conscripted and not just the man power of the country. ATTITUDE OF PUBLIC. . Mr. Waite said that men would not be secured in the required numbers until the whole country adopted a different attitude towards military training Some persons sneered at the boys who offered their services, but they should honour those who were prepared to give their time for the defence of the country. He could not say how more young men were to be induced to volunteer, and he did not think that a blue uniform would help. The old khaki was as honourable a garment as any man could wear,but the uniforms issued should be pro"conclusion, Mr. Waite said he supported the Bill as a step in the right direction, but unless the men could be enlisted all the rest would be wasted effort. "IDEALS AND GOOD WISHES." The Hon. V. A. Ward (Wellington) said that he believed defence was one of the major problems of New Zealand at the present time. They all knew the result of unpreparedness in Abyssinia and China, and it was plain that to depend entirely on the League of Nations was to depend on ideals and good wishes. The Government was taking the right action and everyone in the country should support the defence scheme. There were three methods whereby a country could secure an adequate defence force—by compulsion; by a volunteer system; or by employing a regular army. He was satisfied that the Government would not agree to compulsion, but if a regular army had to be kept the cost would probably be four times that, of the volunteer system. Consequently, the whole thing resolved itself into a business proposition, and it was in the interest of. every taxpayer to see that the volunteer system succeeded. Only a comparatively small number of trained men was required, but other young men should be kept physically fit so that they could enter the service at short notice. "ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY." ' The Hon. D. Wilson (Wellington) said that in view of world conditions it was absolutely necessary that some defence provisions should be made in New Zealand. It could not be said that the Government was militaristic in any way, but the measures that had been before the Council gave the lie to any suggestion that the Government was not prepared to attend to the defence of the country. He agreed that defence was an important matter, and said there had never been a time when New Zealand was more worth defending. He had opposed the conscription

of the individual all his life and still opposed it. He believed that in a proper system of society there would be no lack of volunteers, because if the system was right the country would be worth defending. He did not think that the present Government would ever consider conscription, but if an emergency came and conscription became necessary it should be applied to wealth as well as to men. The Hon. W. Perry (Wellington) also stressed the need for encouraging volunteers if the defence scheme was to succeed. He believed that the Army was the important line of defence because modern warfare had shown that no matter how towns were shelled or bombed some armed men remained and they had to be dug out ,of their dugouts with the bayonet. He believed that the ultimate. defence of any country depended on. the man with the bayonet. LEADER'S REPLY. Mr. Fagan thanked the members for the cordial reception given to the Bill. He agreed that the position, of the volunteer force was not satisfactory, but said that the reorganisation would lead to an improvement. The extra uniform to be provided was not for the purpose of securing recruits and the Government did not care what the colour was. The uniform was to provide the volunteer with clothing to change into after a day at training, possibly in the wet. More men were required for coastal defences, Mr. Fagan said, and. the response in the past had not been encouraging. The Government hoped to make conditions more attractive for the men, and under the reorganised scheme 300 men would be trained each year for at least three years. The Government realised that it was not fair to ask the men to learn the work of coastal defence at their own expense, and the scheme for three months' training would enable seasonal workers to train and make a living at the same time. Mr. Ward had mentioned a regular army, Mr. Fagan concluded, but a regular army would cost over £2,000,000 a year for 7000 men. ... AMENDMENT MOVED. When the Bill was: being considered in Committee, the Hon. J. Alexander (Auckland) moved' to amend the clause constituting the Army Board, to provide for a minimum of two military members. \ ■ ; • ! The Leader said he could not accept the amendment. The provision for not more than three members was con-, sidered adequate, and three members were not required in times of peace. The amendment was defeated and the Bill was put through its remaining stages and passed. The Council then adjourned until next Wednesday afternoon. ,