DEFENCE OF DOMINION

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 223, 16 August 1930, Page 8

DEFENCE OF DOMINION

a CRITICAL SPEECH. SUBPESSIOS OF OOMPULSOP.V <>* -x- 1 sneech on the Deitncs A critical J speccn ? Rc Bill tva« & Clutha, who initiate.! form member forUu Qpposiuou the debate f nden]ned the proper. srs sSsus’S.? -ss °“f s*&: soldiers cc t. tJie £o ldiers in ti. land, England ; some last war n d fend the Suez Canal Party nor the M.nUter knew where the next war would ster Kim th nor th-wert ot beq. Xt “ifmight be iff the Balkan “t Was the Defence Department making anv provision for gas attacks, which we would get before we reacnedAlrnW'anE* Parry: We are getting th Mr Waite: I have not time to deal with the Labour Party to-day. He knew he said, as much about the League of Nations as any memw of the House and he would point out that the League recognised that some form of defence was necessary for all countries. Both the Country Party and the United Party were in Favour, according to their platform,, of adequate naval and territorial defence and the Labour Party stood ior a voluntary system. The Retorm Party stood-also for an adequate system. The League of Nations recognised the necessity tor adequate defence and yet New. Zealand, with no navy, was going to curtail us la Mr Wilkinson: AVe will have Pl \£ y will have a lot or oenerals and we will be like the United Party in this respect. . The whole of the Swiss Alpine manoeuvres at the present time were beinrr concentrated on a possible attack 5 by Italy, said Air ASaite, and tho=e who studied the position wouiu know that war was by no means impossible in Europe at the present time. At the Naval Conference France had stuck out for some guaran 4part from the Mounted Rifles be did not think that the voluntary system would work in New .Zealand. Hon. AV. B. Taverner: A\ ill you indicate why it will not work in this Mr Waite said that the system had been a failure in other parts or the world. They had had experience oi the svstem belore in New Zealand and in Australia at present they could rot get men to take up soldiering. The men stated that their employee would not give them leave, it had to be remembered that there were unpatriotic employers in* every country in the world. One of the reasons that had been advanced for suspension of the present system was the necessity for economy, but a volunteer force would be expensive and they would not get efficiency. Under the old volunteer system they could not get 40 per cent, of the men to attend a three-days’ camp, but at present the percentage was over 90. The defence of the country was a dutv, lie s;>d, and should not be leit to the whims of the people any more than the paying of income tax. How much money would the Alinister or Finance receive if the paying of income tax were voluntary ? He asked that the House be supplied with more details of the expenditure on defence. For instance, tne Defence Department paid a large sum to the Railway Department ior the carriage of men to camps and the cutting out of the system meant that the railways would not get tin, money. He would like to know the allowances paid to officers and men. Then there were accounts for food and fodder and a clothing account. A'U these items provided work for a large number of people and thus the economies proposed by the Government might have serious consequences. Those criticis who said that tne Territorial system was useless did not know what they were talking about, but he was quite prepared to submit that the whole position should be investigated by a . small commission including an independent officer from Engjand and two-New Zealanders who were not members of the present forces but who had distinguished themselves in the war. He insistea that one member of the commission should be an English expert and la was sure that such a commission would bring down a valuable scheme for the adequate defence of the Dominion.