THE DEFENCE QUESTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14281, 1 August 1908, Page 14

THE DEFENCE QUESTION.

Sin,—As all old Volunteer and a citizen who has for yea.ru belicv<xl that our defence system—as lur as the military part of it ib concerned—is founded on wrong principles, and is utuKxioasairily expensive, I note with hope liho utterance of tiho MiaißteT Dclenoe on this subject in the H°USO on iuesday last, Vr'heJi ho expressed swnpathy with ride clubu. It scenis plain to me that rf the whole of our Volunteer forces were converted into rifle olubs a hugo amount of money oould be saved, which might be devoted priiioipally to inollr subsidy to tlie Imperial navy, the balance to be spent in encouraging" ritlo olute by providing riflea and auijnuintion. Such. olubs would; I contend, be no Jess useful than our Volunteer in resisting a naval attack by cruisers with loiigrango guns—the only probablo form of attack on New Zealand, whore all our prinatple towns are liable to bombardment, from the sea. We Jiave spent millions of pounds 011 so-eaLled defejioe; but the only portion of this huge expenditure, which has been wisely spent, is tiro Bmall proportion contributed to the Imperial navy. If riiie clubs were to reooivo more countenance and a little support—in the shape of rifles juul a, certain allowance of ammunition; and if ■tie Cadet inovemont were fostored and improved, we would probably develop a much larger amount of gol?ci ehote titan wo have,—and the Boer wars have demonstrated that a number of good shots, praotised in distance-judging and in using their instinct for solf-preeervation in scoking eovor, oven if destitute of knowledge of drill, ran offer a very effective dofe-noe against drilled infantry. It is exceedingly unlikely that such a'force would ever be needed to resist a direct attack 011 New Zeaiajid,aßfruch could not possibly take place until our first line of defence—the Imperial navy—had been beaten or evaded, and in the event of either of these contingencies 110 force, bowovor efficient, and howevor numerous, armed ineroly with rifles, could avail to avert the destruction of our coastal towns.

But our duty to the Empire demands that, we should, besides contributing to the Jiavy, train up our boys and men to be able to shoot, so that tho Mother Country might, in case of dire need, find in this distant possession a foroe of patriots who should possess some knowledge of drill, be able to shoot, aaid bo capable of being converted— in case of extreme need—into a powerful weapon of offence 01 defence for service in foreign lands. I notice with delight that our Prime Minister proposes to increase) the subsidy to tho Imperial navy, without any condition as to how the mono; is to be spent, or as to where ships

ilvg to Lo located, therobv at oik.c deepening England's obligation, and easing hor task of defending us. Wo should only ho acting in the same wise and patriotic linos if wo sought the advice of llio War Office and tiio Admiralty as to the form the l'CSt- of our defence expenditure should take. Suoh adv.ico would l» t.lio best obtainable, and would, 1 am sure, if askod, be ohccr- . fully antl conscientiously given. This course might not- only save this ovor-taxe<l country many thousands of pounds; but would assist the central Imperial authorities in unifying ihoir Imperial defer)co scheme.—l am, etc., lico.N'OHT.