DEFENCE AS INSURANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 115, 18 May 1938, Page 10

DEFENCE AS INSURANCE

The definite statement by the Minister of Finance (Mr. Nash) thai in the ev:;nt of war New Zealand will assist Great' Britain to the fullest extent possible will give satisfaction, and the feeling of satisfaction will be increased by the survey cof the Dominion's defence programme given at Dargaville last night by the Minister - of Defence (Mr. Jones}... Concern has been expressed about New Zealand's insecurity from a defence point of view, and unfavourable comparisons have been drawn with what is being done in other countries, notably Australia. . The very full statement by Mr. Jones will go far in modifying any feeling of apprehension, although it remains evident that there is still some distance to go'before it can be claimed that New Zealand is taking a full share in the defence of the Empire. The'choice of Mr. Jones as Minister of Defence has proved a happy one. The Minister has shown himself to be alive to the. .responsibilities of his office and his enthusiasm'is undoubted. There will be general agreement with the steps taken by the Government to improve the air defences of the Dominion. ?Tnis is a branch of service which makes a special appeal to the adventurous'spirit of youth,, and the Government should have no difficulty in 'finding the increased, personnel necessary to build an efficient force. ; In land defences, however, the problem is not <so easy of solution, The strength of the Territorial Forces today is not satisfactory, and if an improvement is to be effected on a voluntary' basis, conditions .of Service must be made attractive. The responsibility does not rest entirely on the youth of the country.. As the Minister points out, the Government and employers generally have a duty to perform. In taking steps to defend the country, it is essential.to keep in the closest possible touch wiu\ Great Britain.'; This- the Government has 1 been doing, and New Zealand has had the advantage of the advice of experts from the three services in Britain. In , the past, New Zealand, in common with other-units of the, Ejnpire, has been very largely dependent on the Mother Country, especially for naval defence, and that will continue to be the'position in the future. Such dependence, however, must not be taken as an excuse for not going further than We have gone already. The people of Great Britain fof(. many years have had to bear more than their fair share of the cost of Empire defence, and recently there have been* further, heavy imposts. Is it reasonable to ask them to continue to carry a burden which should be borne proportionately by all the partners in the British Commonwealth of Nations? In his speech at Lower Hurt on Monday night Mr. Nash quoted figures showing the buoyancy of the country's revenue. With revenue so buoyant we cannot excuse?ourselves if we do not use more of it in defence as an insurance against the possibilities of the future. National security must be the aim of our defence policy, and until that is achieved New Zealand cannot afford to rest content.,