COMMONWEALTH DEFENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1946, Page 7

COMMONWEALTH DEFENCE

BIGGER RESPONSIBILITIES FOR DOMINIONS BRITISH SERVICE POLICY LONDON, April 16. One of the most important subjects for discussion at the forthcoming Commonwealth meeting in London will be that of defence. The Dominions are going to assume bigger responsibilities for - defence both within their own territories and beyond than was the case before the war, thus taking from Britain a proportion of her former responsibilities. This will relieve British taxpayers from meeting the full cost of Commonwealth defence and enable the Dominions to shoulder those responsibilities which they regard as a natural development of their own, independence. In Britain the curtain has been lifted on the structure the Government is building as a foundation for British post-war forces. The Prime Minister (Mr. C. R. Attlee) has announced a short-engagement system for men now serving, or who have served with the forces. No decision has yet been reached on a policy of conscription, but it is stated that it will not be long delayed. Conscription to Continue. Meanwhile Mr. F. J. Bellenger, Financial Secretary to the War Office, has indicated that conscription and national service will have to continue “for' some period.” Mr. Attlee said that nearly 200,000 men (not officers) will be needed for the forces for a maximum of four years. The Royal Navy and Marines needed 26,500 men, the Army 100,000 and the Royal Air Force 60,000. The new engagements, he said, would be of three to four years, at their option, for men between 30 and 40, with a tax-free bounty of £25 on entry and a gratuity of £25 a year—a total of £l2s—in addition to ordinary service pay for four full years plus £8 for a civilian outfit. Mr. Bellenger stated that a substantial number of short service Army commissions would be granted. These would be of eight years with three, four, or five spent on the active list. No age limits were laid down. Officers would usually have to be in medical category A, but those in a lower medical category may be accepted. Gratuities after service would be for three years £337/10/-; four years £450; five years £562 10/-. . , Retaining Specialists. The military correspondent of The Times says that the scheme announced by Mr. Attlee is an expedient to retain a proportion of specialists and seasoned servicemen over a period of special difficulty and until younger troops of the three services are thoroughly trained. The estimated cost of defence services to Britain during the coming year is mven by the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Dr. Hugh Dalton) in the Budget. . ' ■ Excluding pensions, it totals £1,170,763,000, the Army vote being £675,012,000, the Navy £243,371,000 and the Air Force £252,380,000. Discussions on Empire defence in London indicate that though Australia and New Zealand may have fixed commitments in the Pacific, Canada and South Africa prefer not to subscribe to any rigid scheme. It is understood that the London meetings will examine a scheme for a conamon Empire army involving a continuation of the standardisation of equipment and training similar to the intentions of UNO in forming its international police force. Dominion Representation. A suggestion has been made in London for a combined general staff for such an army on which the Dominions will be represented. The Yorkshire Post raises this matter and says: “That there should be one directing head secures support from all the Dominions and there is little doubt that Lord Montgomery as Chief of the Imperial General Staff will be acceptable to all for that position. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa may all take wider responsibilities for the common defence of the Empire and general service for men may be framed in several states to form large reserves for the common pool. Canada is likely to provide strong air forces and Australia a greater naval fleet. Australia is determined to have a defence screen in future. “A great British Pacific fleet will help in this, and those wide waters may have an air service built on a triangle of which Singapore, Hong Kong, and Darwin are the points. There is one suggestion which may be made and it is of special interest, continues the Yorkshire Post. The headquarters of the new staff, it is being urged, should be centrally situated in the Empire, to be within easy flying distance of all the Dominions for consultative purposes.

BRITISH RELEASES FROM SERVICE % LONDON, April 16. The Under-Secretary for Air (Mr. John Strachey) told the House ot Commons that a report on the call-up of the forces would be tabled alter the Easter recess. It was still impossible to foresee the numbers required in the services after this year. A whole batch of peace treaties would be signed before then, it was hoped, and this would have the effect of clarifying the position. . . An Opposition motion censuring the Government’s delay was defeated by 239 votes to 124. The Minister of Labour (Mr. George Isaacs) said that the number of men and women who would be released from the forces in the third quarter would total 532,400 making a total oi just under 4,000,000 since June. The Minister said that there would 'still be some deferment in the release of essential men, and there would be inequalities in relation to certain branches of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. A difficulty was that the numbers in various groups varied.