THE NEW ARMY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24538, 22 March 1943, Page 4

THE NEW ARMY

MANPOWER POLICY RESULTS OF CHANGE VARIOUS ISSUES OBSCURE The Herald's military correspondent says that from the recent Parliamentary debate on the manpower problem and the plans upon which it was basethere will emerge a new home defence Army. It will consist of permanently! mobilised cadres, or nucleus bodies, plus a reinforcement pool ot part-time soldiers who will receive one months intensive camp training a year and the equivalent of two days' parade training a Meif who can expect to tp released from camp, that is, those who are not retained for the permanently mobilised cadres, may bo sadly disappome thev think they are all going to retvi J to the employment which they ett when they entered the Army return to civilian life will not be jus a matter of marching out of camp an going back to their former offices, shops, factories and farms. Drafting To Industry All releases will be made through the various manpower committees and men will be drafted out of the Army into the industries which these authorities consider need their services. Ihe basis of all releases is the manpower survey recently made throughout the Army by the National Service Department, ana the conclusions formed by the department in Wellington will, no doubt, form the general policy lying behind the releases and the transfers into industry. At the moment it seems impossible to clarify some points left obscure bj the Parliamentary debate. For instance although the Prime Minister clearly stated the Government's intention tc allow 18 and 19-year-olds, other thai those awaiting call by the Air Foreor Navy, to resume their civilian voca ' tions or studies if they wished to do so , no instructions for an en bloc release [ nor any date by which it is to be made nor the procedure to be observed, appear to have been received in th< Northern Military District, s Men ol 41-45 Group ' Before the Prime Minister made hi: | statement, the general expectation wa ' that the release of these youths woulc j be on the same selective basis as al . other releases, and that unit com , manders could seek the retention of an; . they wanted for cadre duties. Soim , persons are also doubtful whether th< . release of these youths will automatic , ally mean their return to pre-enlist ment vocations or whether they wil still be subject to compulsory industria drafting. Of similar uncertainty, in the absenc< of an official clarification, is the futur of the balloted but still unmobilisei

men of the 41-45 age group. Althougl some of these men are inclined to thin! that the reduction in the standini Army will release them of their mili tary obligations, it is much more likel; that they will be called for the month' camp training and regular parad training set down for all the othe civilian or part-time soldiers. Another issue which was not detei mined during the debate was whethe grade 1 men now in industry are to b replaced by grade 2 transfers from th Army so that they can stand in line fo Expeditionary Force drafting. This i of very great importance, and, while i has been reported that manpower con p mittees have the machinery ready t effect such a turnabout, no official dr claration of policy or guidance for th naturally interested employers has yo heen issued. Security of the Country It is difficult to discuss all the impl cations and pending results of the ii tended Army reduction without di; closing figures which should be kep secret. However, certain general obsei vations can be put forward. One that the debate offered no satisfactio on the point whether the Navy and Ai

Force have been similarly combed for men who might be released for industry or transferred to more active duty. The fundamental security factors presented by the intended reduction of the Army suggest themselves as three in number. The first is the military soundness of the appreciation of the Army Chief of Staff that New Zealand can depend on three months' warning of an attack demanding remoMlisation. Although this may seem generous, it must be accepted as the considered opinion of a man well qualified and in the best of all positions to judge. The second point is the speed with 'which immobilisation can be effected if an emergency arises. The Herald's correspondent is satisfied that the arrangements made for this are as complete as they can be and no dangerous risk should be entailed on this ground. Training Standard The third and most important point is the training standard, or degree of readiness for action, of the Army if remobilisation has to be carried out. This is the point which provokes the greatest, uneasiness. Training is not a static thing It does not await the convenience of men. An Army demobilised to-day may be out of date on remobilisation, say. in six months' time. Similarly, men's fitness and endurance have disappeared in the meantime. They cannot rely in six months' time on picking up where they left off to-day. Rather, will they have to start all over again to learn and equip themselves to do many of the things which they now know and can do. It is intended that all men —recruits and about-to-be demobilised soldiers—should do the one month's intensive training a year and the two days' parr ade training a month. This means that men will be going into and coming out of camp at four-weekly periods throughout the year, probably starting in a month or two. No matter how enthusiastic they are, who can say that this amount of training can make recruits into soldiers and keep existing soldiers fit and thoroughly trained? The Real Risk Here lies the real risk of the whole scheme. It is being taken to benefit industry. On the lace of it, industry should benefit substantially because of the numbers to be released. But does closer examination support this view? No figures have boon made public to show how many additional men industry will have at its disposal over a season's or a year's period. Gross releases would obviously disclose the numbers to come out of the Army, but a statement on the net annual number — that is, the total left after other men have been taken out of industry for Expeditionary Force, Air Force and Navy—seems to be on a different footing and would enable judgment of the complete situation This is the crux of the plan. If the net. advantage to industry, having regard for withdrawals during the year for active service and for the disorganisation which must result from the monthly camp scheme, is going to be so small that the risk involved more, than offsets it, then the plan would appear in a very different light.

VICAR RESUMES DUTY A special thanksgiving service was held at St. Matthew's Church yesterday morning for the vicar, Canon K. 0. Coats, who has returned to duty. Canon Coats has been absent for six months owing to ill-health.