IMPORTANT TASK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23177, 25 October 1938, Page 10

IMPORTANT TASK

FEDERAL DEFENCE CONFERENCE OF PREMIERS REPLY TO CRITICISM MR. STEVENS' POLICY By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright SYDNEY, Oct. 21 The Federal Minister of Defence, Mr. H. V. Thorby, in a broadcast address, replied to criticism of the Government's defence policy. He snid that unfair and misleading statements had appeared in some of the newspapers. Mr. Thorby claimed that tho Loan Council's meeting was far from being a failure—it was a definite success, for all the States had agreed to co-operate with the Commonwealth on tho important task of defence. The Federal - Treasurer, Mr. R. C. Casey, speaking at Canberra, doclared that the Premier of New South Wales, Mr. B. S. Stevens, was mainly responsible for tho partial failure of tho conference, and said Mr. Stovens' monetary policy was inflationary.

ADVICE OF EXPERTS DECISION TO ACCEPT EXPANSION OF MILITIA INCREASE OF 7000 MEN [from our own correspondent] SYDNEY, Oct. 19 On the recommendation of its expert advisers, the Federal Government has decided to increaso tho authorised personnel of the volunteer militia forces from 35,000 to 42,000 men. It is tentativclv proposed that, as soon as possiblo after the militia units are raised to the now level, plans should be prepared for a further expansion. In announcing tho decision, the Minister of Defence, Mr. Thorby, said that a recruiting campaign to enrol the 7000 additional militiamen would probably be begun in about a fortnight. Tho Defence Department expected that the additional forces would bo provided without difficulty. It was known that many men were waiting for an opportunity to enlist. In selecting tho new recruits preference would bo given to volunteers who had already been refused enlistment because tho forces had reached establishment level. It was intended that tho additional / 000 men should be taken into existing units. The strength of the militia forces was fixed at 35,000 men several years ago, largely because equipment and personnel available did not permit effective training of a larger establishment, and at that stage it was believed that available defonce funds could be used more advantageously than on an immediate expansion of militia units. That stage had now passed, and both equipment and personnel were available for training a greater number of men. Defence exercises began at Port Stephens, north of Newcastle, on Thursday and were continued next day. About 4000 men were encamped in tho Newcastle area, and at dawn on Thursday they were rushed 60 miles to the coast in buses "to repel an invading force under normal field conditions." Originally co-operation was planned with naval vessels, but it was decided to confine the exercises to Army and Air Force units. Aeroplanes assisted both "attackers" and "defenders." In an effort to achieve realism, hessian targets represented boatloads of troops landing under fire from cruisers. The targets, after being towed several hundred yards from tho beach, were gradually drawn inshore. All tho latest engineering, radio and signalling military devices were used in the exercises.