DEFENCE POLICY

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 4218, 15 February 1921, Page 1

DEFENCE POLICY

OLTLINKD !)Y TIIK MINISTER. KCOXO.MY WITH EFFICIENCY (Per Press Association.) Ohristchureh, Feb. 14. Replying id the toast of the Reform Party. .Sir Heaton Rhodes briefly ■diotchod tin- rise of the Reform Partr jind said that nil the present members received votei from Labour, not, tlio t-\trcmi-ts, whom the.v could do without, but the.v bad the support of all honest Labour, and Mr Massey now bad the confidence of Moderate Labour, Touching on defence Sir Ilea-. ton said though economy was needed they Here going to have efficiency. Particular attention would be paid to the officers and non-coms. Tile, war had proved thai, men could soon bo trained with competent officers and non-coms. Tho\ could do without ramps and territorial training for a year or two. but he hoped to see them re-established on a sounder and more efiicicnt looting than before. The cadets, too, would not be forgotten. TJ.'ev must be trained and made physically fit and efiicicnt and drafted into the territorials. He had nnwillingl.v been compelled to retire many ! officers for retrenchment purposes, but he believed the efficiency o,f the force was still unimpaired, and if evor il was. necessary to send another force to belt) the Kinpiro the machinery was there, lie incidentally re- 1 marked that be did not wish to disband any regiment. Some might for the time being have to be made; squadron-! or companies but they would retain their traditions and badges and if they were again cxl.emled ic.lii regiments they would not have lost their identity. Th" meeting decided that a cable lio'dd be sent to General Smuts eonvi atulat in; him on the result of the rivpnl "lection and the success of the Imperial ('arty in South Africa undei his leadership,