OUR DEFENCE SYSTEM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14281, 1 August 1908, Page 10

OUR DEFENCE SYSTEM

■ -<c STATEMENT BY THE PRIME -MINISTER. (Fnoit Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, .Inly 31. Speaking on tho question of defence, in reply to tho Farmers' Union deputation to-night, the Primo Minister said that he did not think that £100,000 a year world bo too much for the Dominion' to contribute to tho upkeep of tho Imperial Navy. He thought that at present it. was impossible for us to provide a system of submarines at all our ports. The initial co 4 of this would be very great, and the expenditure on maintenance would be enormous. Tho importance, however, of doing something to co-oporalo with the Old Country to guard against a time of trouble could hardly lie over-estimated. As to the suggestion of tmivcreal training, there was, he said, a tremendous current of feeling in the country against such a svstcm. h: a country where practical!v .nine out of every ten persons had to earn, their own living, the inroad which such a system would make upon their time was more than they could afford. The compulsory train, ing of youths was a different matter and lie thought something should be done to eccure a continuance of training from the time of leaving school till the age for joining the Volunteer corps was reached. He was quite convinced from the hundreds upon hundreds of protests that lie had received upon the matter that no bovernment was likely to be powerful enough to carry into effect a universal SJ i S i to i l » tw " n > n S- "We must," ho added, • try to make our Volunteer system )>et.tcr. lo make our youths recogniso the importance of training, and to encoura"o our adults to join good reserve rifle corps from one end of the Dominion to the other.