PLANS FOR N.Z. MILITARY TRAINING

Grey River Argus, 24 August 1949, Page 8

PLANS FOR N.Z. MILITARY TRAINING

WELLINGTON, Aug 16. Planning for compulsory military training was begun by all three services some time ago and had been intensified since the result of the referendum, said the Minister of Defence, Hon. F. -Tones, to-day. The Minister added' that in the past 18 months an extensive series of courses had been conducted at the Army Schools to train regular force personnel in readiness for the tasks which would fall to them in training and administering the new territorial force. Army staffs, though well under strength at present, would be increased and the greatest increase would be to the instructional staff. The staffs of the district and Army headquarters,' who were concerned with purely administrative matters, would not need to be greatly augmented. An increase in defence expenditure would be provided for in this year s estimates, said the Minister of Finance (Mr Nash) in Wellington yesterday. However, he would not need to worry about the cost of the military training scheme this year because the major increase in costs of the military training proposals would not become a charge until next year. Mr Nash said the first recruits would not get to camp until next May. The cost of the referendum would be met this year. Mr Nash said the peak defence expenditure of £17,000,000 a year would not be reached for some years yet. After, that, he expected the defence vote would be slightly lower.