DEFENCE SYSTEM

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 4 September 1924, Page 5

DEFENCE SYSTEM

LABOUR CRITICISM / ' ' ■ ■ -. !■

MR. ISITT,’S LOGIC

(BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 3. The defence system of New Zealand £ ln for crifcicism in the House this afternoon, when the annual report of the Defence Department was tabled. Mr. J. A. Lee {Auckland East) complained that the staff was too heavy m Auckland. They had a number;of highly paid officers, who spent; the gi eater part of their time lounging in. pleasant clubs. What time they gave to drilling boys.was mostly wasted, as youths were being taught, evolutions which they would have to throw overboard if they went to war. The general disfavour in which our military service was held by the publiccould he seen in the number of boys who refused to attend drill. He strongly resented these boys being browbeaten by magis-’ ti sites, and then heavily fined and deprived of their civil rights. That was not the way to make good citizens of the boys. . .

the world* said Mr. Lee, the tendency to-day was to reduce expenditure on military and naval services, but here in New Zealand, we were doing our best to increase expenditure in both directions. Oiip best defence was healthy copulation, and our greatest danger was our empty spaces. If the money spent on defence was expended on increasing our population, we would have nothing to fear from outside aggression. V Opposition (Mr. J. M. Wilford) said it was a mistake to suppose .that disarmament was a question of the day. The Washington Conference. had done'nothing but speed up the building of a certain type of fast cruiser. The British Labour Government recognised this, and they had increased both, the British army and navy. Europe was in . a state of-fer-ment. There was war- everywhere and any country, which would do nothing to promote its own defence would haye to take the responsibility for what' came to it. There was nothing in disarmament except talk. The. Leader of the Labour Party (Mr H. E. Holland)/ said Mr. Wilford’s speech was a. confession that the Great War was not a war to end wai*.‘ To l-l propaganda loose amongst school children was not in the best , interests of education. We had reached a position in -New Zealand where we were spending hundreds of thousands of pounds in a futile direction, . The .exdid not make for military —“Ciienc.y, Real defence lay in an. efficient, contented, and' prosperous people.

Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch'North) said that if oiie followed the Labour Party s attitude to -a logical zconclu-' sipu we would abolish,, the police force, the courts, the judges,', and the hang-, man. There must bb ho force and People must act up to 5 the: principle/ Christian love, -so that, if .a person.' robbed one in fhe midclle of the night the, intruder must be asked to have a cup of tea and a bit of cake ; Mr J. McCombs- said- Mr./ Isitifc’s speech had been almost blasphemous. Mr, Speaker: Order !, You must not •say that. " -: Mr.. McCombs : I 1 think- I -could "proveit. ■ Air; Speaker; Order!... . Mr. J bb,w to yohr’ruling. ... .Mr.. Speaker •;/‘-'And withdraw the words. I'iiVj ; ; Mr. McCombs: I do, but not because my view ' has , -I.:*-'-The Hon.. W. Downie-Stewart, replying to the debate, said the defence system of the Dominion wus rio' doubt 1 open to criticism, but so far the debate had not revealed any constructive criticism. The. Labour Party seemed‘hopelessly divided in its policy; but it generally seemed to prefer t’o . have no, policy at all until it got on the Treasury benches, Mr. Ramsay .-MacDonaldhad been quoted, but the fact was that while Mr. Ramsay ; MacDonald \vas endeavouring to permeate other na-; tions with liis humanitarian ideas ; hewas keening up the defences of the country, and that was just what the New Zealand Government was doing. The Minister said Mr. Lee’s reference to the Auckland officers was inaccurate and unfair. As to the 14mlber, there had been a considerable- re-' .duction of late, while some of the 'best officers were leaving the service because there were better opportunities in civil life.' As far as it was possible to do it compulsory half-day and night, parades were being eliminated, exebpt 111 the technical branches, where it was not found feasible to do it. After such a war, as we .had just passed. through there was .naturally reaction, in the public mind against military service, but the danger was that the' public might be induced to go too far• and abolish an institution that was of vital importance The report was then laid " : on the table.