DEFENCE PROBLEMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14706, 5 June 1920, Page 8

DEFENCE PROBLEMS.

CO-OPERATION WITH AUSTRALIA. GENERAL BIIIDWOOD'S ADVICE. ; | (By Telegraph.) (Special to the Oamaru Mail.) \ ■ ' WELLINGTON, Jiiiie 4. , One of the phases of General Birdwood's speech at the official • luncheon iii his honor was his outlook ; upon the future defence obligations of; the Dominion. After telling of many cvents on Gallipoli, he declared that a. close association of the. New Zealand and Australian forces, fighting shoulder to shoulder arid realising that the failure of either involved the destruction of both, meant a.great- deaf in the future relations of these two;countries. The; soldiers or New Zealand arid Australia had a, mutual respect for each other, and, continued General liirdwood, it seenis commonsense, looking ahead, that' Australia arid New Zealand must stand shoulder to shoulder, see eye to eye, and be almost one nation for defeiieive 'pulposeo. They were stationed in. the Pacilic, on • the outposts, and so : long as they worked in with each "other >iiej ■ could face the future confident that the British 1 flag would fly. After paying a high tribute to ■ Gener ral Russell's sound leadership, the speaker declared that there was no better organised unit in the army arid,, but for his breakdown- in health," General Russell would liavo been promoted to the command-^of"-'ait army corps. This was Sir Douglas Haig's intention, arid ; although it niight have been difficult to get" the New Zealand authorities to spare GdngTal Richardson, lie ; (General, Birdwood) had-'hoped to see him chief administrative officer of-this new hrmy . corps. Though well aware that "fools ; rushed in where angels feared to tread," he" ventured to suggest thatNew Zealand should do its best to keep : up the territorial; forces, utilising the invaluable ■experience of the men who saw active service. . : They should, through the New Zealand General Staff, keep in close touch 'with Australia on the question of mutual defence.' aud in the closest possible touch witn India, the nearest part of "the Empire where a,, I considerable number r o"f highly-trained , | British troops were maintained in mohi- , lised form;- _ They should -not^forget, jtha-t the; British Navy. could, not. be in two • places' at once. 7 .; Therefore t-hey should be able to depend in. emergency upon their,own;strong' right arm. All . ho could say of the League of Nations was that it could do no harm, andmight eventually do good and'reduce the expenditure on defence.