THE MILITARY MENACE

Grey River Argus, 5 December 1921, Page 7

THE MILITARY MENACE

SOME STARTLING FIGURES INCREASED NUMBER OF OFFICERS. Speaking on the Budget debate, .Mr H. E. Holland, in condemning the jetrenchmcnt proposals of the Govern meni, said:— While they come to us with the ciy of retrenchment and their demand for economy what are they doing in the matter of expenditure on militarism in this country? J.et honourable members turn to the estimates and look at ‘he figures. In 1914 we spent £512,328 on militarism; the preesnt estimates provide for an expenditure of £951,74 l >, and the militarism it provides is a laughing stock. If I wore the most extreme militarist 1 could only view with, amusement and ridicule the Government’s policy as a policy <>f defence. I know what the idea is. 1 know the idea is to build up A Psychology of Militarism in this country, and I know we are going in certain directions along th" lines that Germany followed in tiie olden days. I remember the speeches of Government members—Cabinet Ministers, particularly—during ’.he war-time period, how they told us this I was a war to eml militarism, how they told us we were to crush German mili- I tai ism once and for all. The Gerni. n militarists were crushed, but German I militarism made its hmm' with us. .Net only here in New Zealand in our small way. but in America, in England, and in Japan the same made militaristic rush that was going on in Germany prior to the war is now going on. If we look at the English Budget ’ figures for this year we shall find that . the English rulers (impose to spend on I armaments during the present financial I year three times as much money as | ever Germany spent in any of the worst I of her militarist years before the war. We find there arc proposals for build- 1 ing huge battleships that the Piime Minister told us were to cost £7.000,000 each, but which experts tell us are to cost £10,0(10,000 each, ami which Hl foui or five years, will be obsolete. The reason given for this Feverish. Battleship Building is that Amero-a is also building, that j .Japan is also building. Before tie war the reason given was tnat Ger- ! many was building. So that var-mis I countries ate to keen on building against one another, levying toll on I their people for the purpose of maintaining the most criminal system the world has ever known. Just look at I The Growth of Militarism ( in New Zealand as between 1914 ami [ 1921. We propose to spend nearly I £340,000 more this year than in 19 11. I In 1914 we had one Majoi-General at £lOOO a year; we have now one at £l2OO a year. In. 1914 we had no Brigadier-General, now we have one at £lOOO. In 1914 we had three colonels at £750 a year each, making a total ci £2250; now we have three at £SO:i, making a total of £2400. | In 1914 we had four lieutenant-colo-nels two tit £6OO a year and two t't £630 a year, making a total of £2509; now we have 16 Lieutenant-Colonels. 1.3 at £665 a year, one at £715 a year, two at £765 a year, and '.heir (total salaries are £10,890. In 1914 we had three majors at £-175 a year each, totalling £1425; now wo have 14 Majors, 12 at £525 a year each, one. at £575 a year, and one at £025 a year, and their salaries total £7,500. | In 1914 we had 43 Captains, th'ir salaries ranging from £350 to £450. and totalling £14,800; now we have 41 Captains, their salaries ranging from £l5O to £6OO, and totalling £17,480.

.In 1914 we had 39 lieutenants whose salaries ranged from £220 to £3OO, and totalled £10,839 for the year; now we have 63 Lieutenants whose salaries range from £315 up to £385, totalling £19,075. See V.Uiat the Position Is. We are creating a military caste in this country. We could safely wipe the whole of the Defence item off the Estimates and New Zealand would not lose as much as a. snap of the lingers. On the contrary we should be nearly £1,000,000 better off. An Hon. Member: Let the Mother country do it. Mr Holland: Surely the honourable member is not simple enough to think that it is a Defence Force we have in New Zealand. Recently I listened io Mr Lee, a returned soldier, a D.V.M., speaking in connection with . .ucklaml East election campaign. He knows more about militarism Ilian does the lionou'ralde memlxy (fho i 111 erjec?" I. because he has been through it; and ' he ridiculed the honourable member ; who interjected, because he has bo?n through it; and he ridiculed the so-call-ed defence system we have in New [Zetland. Nobody will say that the “Chatham” is going to save N *w Zealand from the Japs in days to come, i Air idassey: You talk nonsense. ! Mr Holland: If I talked nonsense. I should be emulating the Prime Minister, and I do not wish to do that. \ Air Massey: I do not think you ever will. \ Mr Holland: “Talk nonsense,” 1 am sure I won't; and I am equally sure I will never emulate the Prime Minister, because I should not like to go as far astray as he has gone. Sir. our One-ship Navy the “Chatham,” is going to use vp

thirty thousand pounds worth of coal and fuel per year. What I have st atn I (-ot'.iparison of the increases ip the number of commissioned officers is also true of the non-commissioned officers. 1 have not had time to make a comparison of the iiicreaes in tho number of non-commissioned officers. T’hat huge iiicicaso in the number of commissioned officers is surely a ba i thing. 1 have nothing to say against the officers personally. Trhui I am attacking is the military system that we are building up in this country. It is not for the purposes of defem-o against an outside foe, because from that point of view the whole thing :> t idiculous. An Hon. Member: If itTiad not been for the “Australia” we would have been under German rule. Air Holhind: I am not too sure y 'U are not very close to German rule at the present time, because the militarist ic principles that. Germany stood f>r arc imposed in this country, and the honourable gentleman knows it. The mere fact that, you have defeated 14ie German militarists does not mean that you have uoleafcd German militarism. The militarists have been defeated. h.:l militarism has triumphed. The evil principle of Gorman militarism thfeatons to overshadow this eountrv.