COLONIAL DEFENCE AND OUR FORCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11431, 23 July 1900, Page 4

COLONIAL DEFENCE AND OUR FORCES.

The statement made in the House of Representatives by the Premier, and published by us on. Saturday, on all matters connected with tie defence of the colony, is complete, going over the whole ground. it was imperative that the subject should be dealt with, and before Parliament separates it will have to sanction some arrangement on the lines indicated in the Ministerial manifesto. The proposals are mainly such as we have pointed out as necessary, and we are sure they will be discussed with an entire absence of political feeling. It is our duty to see that the colony is safe against every attack as far as we can make it, and it is also our duty to place ourselves in such a position as that we can aid the Empire in case of any strain upon it, or can lend assistance if any threatened point can be reached by us sooner than from any Imperial military base. The Premier lays it clown as the points of his scheme to complete our harbour defences, to increase and fully equip our volunteer corps, give military training to our youths, encourage rifle clubs, and in addition create a reserve force equal for any emergency. The defence forces of the colony are to come under the following heads: — (a) Permanent artillery for harbour defences; (b) ordinary volunteer forces; (c) Imperial and colonial reserve forces; (d) rifle clubs;_ (e) cadet corps. The Government is to endeavour to provide rifle ranges. The imperial Reserve is to be formed of men from the ordinary volunteer corps, who are to enlist in the Imperial Reserve for the period of three years, and who are to have extra drill and training. These men would be liable in case of emergency to serve outside the colony. Rifle clubs and cadet corps are to be encouraged, while the naval volunteers are to have the opportunity of becoming efficient. Finally it is proposed that there should be a conference of delegates from all the Australasian colonies, to be presided over by a general who has taken part in the war in South Africa. The scheme is a very excellent one, and if such measures were carried out in every British colony, the Empire would be much stronger than it ever has been. Every point would be guarded, and a strong force could be rapidly brought to bear at any spot where danger threatened. There is, however, one very serious consideration in connection with the scheme, and that is its cost. We in New Zealand have never faced the possibility that our military expenditure would bo a serious burden to us. But the working of the new scheme would mean a serious addition to our fixed annual charges. It is proposed that the moneys required for harbour defences and for arming the defence forces should be raised by the Imperial authorities and advanced to the colonies, which should pay interest thereon at the rate of 3 per cent. But the increased expenditure on the volunteers and on various other departments of defence would amount to a large sum. As it is, the colony requires all its income. For a number of years past we have borrowed at the rate of a million per annum, and if we had not done so we should not have had the surpluses we have been able to boast of. But even that modest borrowing cannot go on for ever. We have also, it must be remembered, loaded our surplus revenue with about ''•200,000 per annum for old age pensions. In these circumstances the financial aspect of the scheme must be carefully considered. The committee which has been appointed contains several members who have acknowledged the necessity for improving our defences and our volunteer force, but we have no doubt that they will closely consider all the aspects of the subject.