THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1940 INADEQUATE DEFENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23661, 21 May 1940, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1940 INADEQUATE DEFENCE

Only a few weeks ago, when Mr. Fraser assumed office as Prime Minister of New Zealand, a great majority of the people of the Dominion were prepared to extend to him loyal and enthusiastic support in the hope that he would be able to impart new force and energy to the country's war effort. They welcomed him as a man who had senn for himself the war preparations of Britain and France; who had studied, in personal association with the representatives of Great Britain and the other Dominions, the problems of an Empire at war; and who was freed of a rebel element within his party which placed domestic politics before Empire responsibilities. In short, the people accepted Mr. Fraser as a potential war leader, capable of directing efficiently the Dominion's full participation in a vital conflict. Once again they have been disillusioned. They have heard the Prime Minister's exposition of his plans for national defence and war-time production and the thinking section, at any rate, cannot escape a feeling of humiliation and despair at the inadequacy of the proposals put forward in the name of the Government. The urgent question of home defence is to be met by demanding from Territorials, voluntarily enlisted, and from groups of ex-ser-vicemen, voluntarily enrolled, the acceptance of a responsibility which should be shared by all those young . enough and fit enough to bear arms. The equally urgent question of wartime production is to be tackled on the basis that nothing must be done to interfere with a labour organisation, artificial and extravagant in peace time but.ruinous, and hopelessly obstructive in time of war. While the fate of the Empire and of our cherished democracy is in the balance, Mr. Fraser and his Government are content to put forward plans which are tentative, timorous and totally unworthy of the people who are asked to give them performance.

,r It is hard to believe that the ;e leader of any responsible Government could carry injustice to the extent revealed in Mr. Fraser's declared plans for home defence. The Prime Minister says that "the n Government and the military authorI ities are now able to give practical attention" to this matter, but to !r describe the scheme presented as "practical" is nothing short of a e travesty. The Territorial Force is composed of young men who have - offered themselves for spare-time military training out of a sense of national duty. At one stroke the - whole basis of their service is to be .. altered. Because they recognise their responsibilities, they are to be required to jettison their private I interests in order to undergo three months' intensive and continuous training, while the great majority' of their felloes live in civilian comfort. In effect, there is to be compulsion for the volunteers and indulgence of the slackers. Can this, by any stretch of the imagination, be described as "practical"? But the matter does not- rest there. The Prime Minister has given no assurance that the willing horse is strong enough for the task ahead. He has not seen fit to tell the people whether expert military opinion is satisfied that existing Territorial strength is sufficient for the adequate defence of the country. The general impression is that numbers are still lacking, and that the existing Territorial Force, fully trained and equipped as it may be in a few months' time, would still be unable to perform successfully the vital task allotted to it. The whole scheme, in fact, is so inadequate that no Government putting it forward in the present ominous circumstances is entitled to public confidence. The Prime Minister himself has said that, if invasion threatens, every man and woman in New Zealand will be at the disposal of the Government. Does he intend to wait until an invader is off our shores and then, at a conference with the enemy commander, move a short adjournment while we prepare to defend our homes? There is only one way to provide for the national security of the country —the immediate introduction of universal military training for home defence. There need be no delay in bringing this about. The Act providing for universal training is still on the Statute Book. Its relevant provisions have been suspended for the past 10 years, but only a legislative formality is required for them to become again. The Government will be failing in its trust if it clings to the prejudices of its pacifist past and refuses to insist that a national responsibility must be nationally shared. The same arguments apply with equal force to Mr. Fraser's nebulous promises for the encouragement of production. Everything is to carry on as usual, with the dim prospect of a "gradual change-over" from unessential to essential work. It is pertinent to recall that six months before the outbreak of war the Minister of Labour, Mr. Webb, stated that he would not hesitate, if the necessity arose, to ask workers to work longer hours in order to maintain the production level in vital industries. A necessity of grim urgency has arisen, but the call for a greater labour i effort has still to be sounded, i Instead we listen to congratulations J extended to men who have been so i public-spirited as to work at week- I ends on lavish rates of overtime. The I whole position is intolerable. Mr. 1 Fraser must either disregard the < susceptibilities of the less helpful ' among his own followers or else he i must be prepared at least to share i the task of government with men < who can give expression to the will r of a majority of the people for the 1 full exertion of New Zealand's war t effort. - c