THE DEFENCES OF THE COLONY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 932, 10 January 1890, Page 27

THE DEFENCES OF THE COLONY.

Considering the magnitude of the subject dealt with, the report of Major-General Edwards

on the defences of the Colony is compendious and to the point. He has viewed the subject from the standpoint of a general officer tinctured by the regulations and prejudices of fighting systems of older communities than New Zealand. We are not at all surprised that the report has that bias ; it would have been extremely remarkable if it had dealt with the subject from a colonial standpoint. And yet that is exactly what the Colony wants: How best to organise defence on a basis that will meet colonial requirements and fit into the colonial position. Considering the position as it is, and according to his peculiar lights, MajorGeneral Edwards haß handled his theme in a sufficiently masterly manner. He has made some valuable suggestions, and exposed many weak places in the system, not fatally weak, but easily remedied when the application of the remedy is seriously undertaken. The Inspector for the time being says that the system* wants a head and more and bettertrained officers and men, and betterweapons. And in short that it wants turning inside out and reforming. That ia something that we have often urged ourselves, but not quite so directly, and nathless all the Generali has told us, we still hold to our preconceived opinion of a hired force of experts for battery and engineering purposes, and a great extension of the Volunteer system, so great and thorough as to elevate New Zealand to the position of a nation under arms. But we have no intention of sweepingly decrying the report we are dealing with. It contains much good advice, notably the recommendation to divide the Colony into four defence districts, or centres, and to sharply define the troops required for battery service and the field forces. No doubt they should be distinct, and that is where the proposition made bythe Premier, and which we enunciated! a short time since, fits in so admirably„. Major-General Edwards estimates at. 670 the number of men required for* the service of the batteries and the* submarine mines, including, of course, the torpedo service. This is a large number for the Colony to withdraw from its population and train to a special service. It would be a very costly undertaking indeed, and it may reasonably be doubted whether, considering the unavoidable inferiority of the training means and. appliances at command, compared with the perfection cf such arrangements: in the Old Country, the qualification© of such a standing force would not fall much below those of men, and especially officers, trained in the Imperial service. The report recognises the disadvantage at which this force is placed on account of the comparative smallness of its numbers, and, recommends as a palliative amalgamation with the forces of the Australian colonies.'* That is to say the Major-General had in hi© mind’s eye a complete and compact* Australasian Federation. But when, we should like to know, is that likely to take place ? And to be prepared for contingencies, meantime, we are advised that it is necessary to raise, train and equip a total of 670 men for battery and mine work, or 474 more, than what are already on the rolL This, indeed, would be a serious undertaking for New Zealand in the present* state of the labour market. From one end of the Colony to the other Bettlerß are, and have been for some time, at their wits’ end to obtain sufficiency of labour, and to withdraw 474 men from industrial pursuits for* the purposes of war would be burning the candle at both ends with a vengeance, by paying exorbitantly for labour of the kind and by checking production, and, consequently, lessening exportation. We are sure the people generally will agree that that^

will not do at all. The propositions of the report respecting the field forces are, we should think, apposite and good so far as they go, and that is not much beneath the surface. "We are told the number and character of the forces required, and may accept the Major-General’s dictum as fairly conclusive. But all the time the professional views of the soldier trained in a permanent system crop up. The report is emphat’e as to the necessity of having a force of partially paid men under certain conditions of service ; that is, that they are to undergo so much drill every year. This is an approximation to the old Volunteer system, and the present Volunteer system could bo brought right up to the standard laid down in the report, with very little difficulty, by simply increasing the capitation allowance. The report recommends that 4490 partially paid men should be raised at from to £l2 per head per year, hut prefers the larger sum. This would mean an expenditure of nearly £60,000 per annum on what might be termed the nucleus of defence. Now could not such a sutn be more satisfactorily disbursed ? The report is emphatic on one point. It considers “ the forces generally have not sufficient training to man the works for the defence of the harbours.’’ And again, there is a veiled implication respecting the submarine mining establishments. They are all right providing officers and men are sufficiently trained. But there is nothing veiled in the outspoken advice to procure from the Imperial Government a thoroughly competent commander for the land forces, with a staff officer who would give his whole time and attention to the duties of the position. The report might have gone a little further, and recommended apply - ing to the Imperial service for the whole of the force needed to man batteries and mines, less the officers and men who are in the service now and are trained to the work. To cast them adrift would be most unjust and also inexpedient. There is a clause in the report of particular significance to us. It advises encouragement in the further formation of cadet corps. Had the General the splendid material of the State schools in his mind’s eye when he penned that? The Colony might be made to bristle with cadet corps, at small expense, too, if our oft-reiterated propositions to put the boys of the State schools in proper training were only entertained. All that the report says about arms and ammunition is sound and to the purpose. The Colony must increase its expenditure on defence. Better arms and more am munition are indispensable, and a better ordering of the fighting men. And how all this is to be done is something for the Defence Department to determine, and it should be materially helped to intelligent, wise conclusions by Major-General Edwards’ report. But we cannot wait for the advent of an Australasian millenium before putting our house in order. Twice the General broadly mentions Australian defence in his report, and links New Zealand with it. But the linking cannot be for a very long time, we are afraid ; and until a perfect system of .Federation is formulated aud in force, New Zealand must be strong to defend her own house without alliance with Auntialia.