BRITAIN'S DEFENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22907, 15 June 1936, Page 13

BRITAIN'S DEFENCE

BURDEN OF THE EMPIRE THE CITIZEN ARMY The Lord Chancellor (Lord Hailsbam) was the chief guest (says The Times! at the annual dinner of the British Bankers Associaiion. The Lord Chancellor said that he was encouraged by what the chairman had said and hoped that the Government did not enjoy the bankers' support lor what he might call merely negative virtues. He trusted that they might feel that they were entitled to their positive confidence and help. , , . .. To-day obviously the first topic in the mind of every thinking man in England must be the problem of international affairs, and the first question which anyone must ask in considering the merit of any Government was whether or not their policy was designed to maintain world peace. He believed it undoubtedly to be true that in this country at least every section of the community, every political party whole-heartedly desired world peace. When criticisms of the Governments foreign policy were heard he .would remind them of two considerations. The first was that the policy of collective security was not the policy which was invented by the National Government, and the second was that the obligations which had to be faced last August were not the obligations which the Government had imposed upon the nation. Ihey rested upon the Covenants which were signed 16 years ago, and which had been the policy of the Government of all periods ever since. It was idle to deny that that policy had received.a setback, and the Government would be justly criticised if it failed to try to meet the shortcomings which had been found to exist, and to strengthen the policy of peace in the future. Even as long ago as last August, when first those obligations were shown to involve risks which had not been perhaps fully appreciated, the Government faced the facto that unilateral disarmament had been proved to be a dangerous thing. . The safety and defence of the Lmpire rested upon the nation as a whole, and we have to look to employers and workmen to collaborate with the Government. He was confident that both organised labour and organised employers would be willing to help the Government, to give their loyal advice, and that neither one nor the other would desire to use the nation's necessities to exploit their own selfish demands. . There was another direction in which national defence must be cared for by the nation and not by the Government. I his country alone of the great nations of the world depended on a citizen army. Everywhere else conscription compelled military Bcrviee. In Britain alone trust was placed in the voluntary help of its citizens, and it was not too much to say to the youth of this country that since the best two years of their lives were not claimed in military training, they should at least be willing of their own free will and accord to give np that time and leisure which were necessary to make them ready to defend their country if ever there should come a time of war. Since 1914 the professional army had been enormously reduced in numbers. Since that time the responsibilities ot the Territorial Armv had been correspondingly increased. Only in 1932 the coast defences of Britain were handed over to the Territorial Army and only last year the anti-aircraft defence was handed over to the same body. Before the war their peace strength was some 312,000 men on establishment, and some 205,000 men actually serving. To-day the peace establishment was only 182,000. and the actual serving strength was nearly one-third ess than that number. Before the war they were able to expect a time of training in which, under the shield of our fcavy and Regular Forces, the Territorial I'orce could reach the full pitch of fighting efficiency. That would not be true in another war. Anti-aircraft defence would probably be in action before the war was declared. Const defence would certainly be needed within a few days of war being declared. It was a source of keen anxiety to his colleague and successor at the War Office to see that that shortage existed and that there did not seem to be a real appreciation from the people ot this country as to the importance of the duty which was placed upon the lerntorial To the employers who perhaps were beet represented in that great assembly he would say that he would like to see the younger leaders of commerce ana industry themselves taking their part as leaders in the Territorial Army, and organising units in their own business houses and factories. To the older employers, was it too much to ask that they would at least do their best to make it easy for those whom they employed to discharge their duties in the lerntorial armv, that they would see facilities were given for the necessary drills and camp life, and that they would not only lay it down as a principle which they themselves desired, but that they would take the trouble to ensure that those in subordinate positions of authority, whose own holiday/, and convenience might be interfered with by the needs ot meeting Territorial demands, would not be allowed to put obstacles in the way of the vounger employees doing their bit to serve their country if a time of need ever arose. , ... ~ The chairman had suggested that they had not gone far enough in the direction of trade agreements, that bilateral agreements were =hot enough, and that they should trv some wider and more comprehensive plan. He appreciated the truth that trade was not bilateral, triangular, or many sided, and a general revival of trade was essential in the interests of the world and of this country. They had had a world economic conference but they did not get very far. At Ottawa four years ago agreements were achieved between representatives of the Dominions and the Mother Country which he believed had been of lasting benefit. A't any rate these were matters to which he could assure them the Government was keenly alive. If opportunity arose he believed they would not be too slow to take it.