THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1939 ENGINEERS AND DEFENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23277, 21 February 1939, Page 8

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1939 ENGINEERS AND DEFENCE

Engineers as a class are realists—men whose vision of the future must always be related to the workaday present—and thero is more than passing significance in the fact that the first subject to be debated fully by New Zealand engineers, now in conference in Auckland, should be that of national defence. This is a topic which concerns the engineer intimately and the extent of his concern is of vital importance to the country as a whole. Even in the 20 years since the last world conflict science has been on the march and following close on the heels of the scientists have come the engineers. If the scientist is the architect of civilisation, the engineer is the master-builder and in the protection of the edifice of human progress both must play their part. Much is the state of the world to-day that the arts of peace cannot be their sole concern. The engineer, in particular, must be prepared to defend what he has planned and built, for without his services, in war as in peace, the millions who work to his planning would be irretrievably lost. And so it is that the New Zealand Institution of Engineers, whose annual conference opened in Auckland yesterday, have been compelled to consider the responsibilities which the present world situation has forced upon them. Engineering has an important place in modern military science and its practitioners, by virtue of their special training, must hold key positions in any scheme for national defence. The need is recognised and the engineers themselves have decided to call on all their fellows to reinforce the engineering units of the Dominion's defence forces, at present considerably below strength. One has only to think for a moment of modern developments to realise the importance attached to engineering practice in military affairs, even if the aim is purely defensive. In the first place, the engineer must plan and construct all lines of transport on the efficiency of which any body of troops must depend for its existence. He must design and build military and civilian defences; he must be responsible for the maintenance of all public facilities, such as water and power supplies, the crippling of which could strike a mortal blow at ' civilian morale. There is thus every reason why the Corps of New 2lealand Engineers, not least among all the units of the Territorial Force, should be maintained at full and vigorous strength. To quote only a few instances, there is doubt concerning the ability of many New Zealand roads to stand up to heavy military traffic. This applies particularly to the North Auckland area, where attack by a hostile force might easily be concentrated. The defence authorities, therefore, must be prepared to accept engineering advice fully in shaping their plans for national safety. Similarly, hydro-electric power is coming to mean more and more in the economic life of the Dominion and the engineer and the soldier must again work together for the safeguarding of generating units. The planning and location of aerodromes is also a matter on which the engineer must be fully consulted, as even an emergency landing ground for civil aircraft may possess unique strategic value. In view of these facts it is well that the engineers are anticipating a call to action in a manner which promises the Government the services of men well qualified to assist in planning adequate defensive measures. It is to be noted that the Institution has not merely passed vague resolutions calling on the Government to "do something." It is prepared to take the military organisation as it finds it and to call on its members to do their best to strengthen it in a highly important technical sphere. That is true national service and the conference is to be congratulated wholeheartedly on its constructive outlook. But that does not absolve the Government of responsibility. There should be immediate and official recognition of the action of the engineers and every encouragement should be given to young men, in particular, to make their valuable professional knowledge available for defensive needs. The Government has a further responsibility in that, through the Public Works Department, it employs the largest staff of engineers in the Dominion; commonsense suggests that this expert force should be securely linked with the military organisation. The matter could well be taken even further. Civil and constructional engineers are mainly concerned in the present conference, but, with mechanised military units a,nd an expanding Air Force, there is reason to enlist as fully as possible the aid of automotive and electrical engineers. The Post and Telegraph Department has generally provided a reserve for a Signal Corps and medical practitioners, fortunately, have always regarded it as an honoured duty to maintain the strength of the Medical Corps. Threats of war these days are so ominous that the Government must prepare in advance to use all the expert manpower available in the complex business of putting a military machine into smooth and efficient operation the moment an emergency arises. It is understood that certain investij* gatory work is being done in secret by the Organisation for National •Security, but other countries have found it expedient to take the public into their confidence and to appeal to the highest sense of patriotism for voluntary effort. The New Zealand Institution of Engineers has certainly shown the Government that there are groups of men in the Dominion who realise the gravity of the present situation and who are prepared to face it.