DEFENCE FORCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23866, 21 July 1939, Page 10

DEFENCE FORCES

RECRUITING CAMPAIGN THE VOLUNTARY SYSTEM WEAKNESSES CRITICISED <From Our Parliamentary Reporter* WELLINGTON, July 20. Weaknesses in the voluntary system of recruiting for the defence forces were pointed out by Mr J. Hargest (Opposition, Awarua) during the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives to-day. Not only the Opposition but tens of thousands of people behind the Government. he said, stood for a system of universal military training. New Zealand wanted the manhood, but the men could not be obtained under the existing voluntary method. If New Zealand had a force of 50,000 trained men, properly armed, any enemy would pause before coming to this country. “I have never set myself up as an authority on military questions,” Mr Hargest said. “ I have, however, been a student of military history and have always been an impartial critic of the defence measures both under this Government and the previous Government.” The member for Waitemata (Mr J, Lyon, Govt.), Mr Hargest said, had admonished members of the Opposition because they had expressed dissatisfaction with the number of men under training. Was Mr Lyon satisfied with the He was one of three who had written the minority report on defence at the recent Labour Conference, and in this report Mr Lyon and his colleagues had set out to show that he and his colleagues were dissatisfied with the recruiting campaign. “The member for Waitemata has described the talk of an invasion of New Zealand as ridiculous,” Mr Hargest continued. “The conviction of the Australian military staff is that in the event of hostilities Australia would be subject to a major invasion.”

The Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones): How many territorials are there in Australia?

Mr Hargest: They have 70,000, but they have factories for the manufacture of ammunition, howitzers and other armament, including aircraft. In view of the opinion of the military authorities in Australia are we justified in saying that we in this country will not be subject to anything more than a raid, and that 16,000 men will be capable of defending this country and its enormous coastline?

The Minister of Defence had covered a great deal of ground in his speech the previous evening, Mr Hargest said, but the basis of his argument was unsound because he had said in effect that a force could be created simply by writing cheques. Mr Jones; I did not. But we have something to show for our expenditure.

Mr Hargest: The Minister told the House that for an expenditure of £4,000,000 we have 30 bombers. These machines would be annihilated if 60 enemy machines came here. The Minister of Education (Mr P. Fraser): The action taken was on the advice of the best experts in Britain.

Mr Hargest: Is the Minister of Education an expert? Mr Fraser: I can no more claim to be an expert than the honourable member himself.

Mr Hargest said it would be interesting to know if the officers of the staff were in agreement with the Minister’s policy. Mr Jones: Yes, they are. Mr Hargest: Do they agree that the voluntary system meets the position?

Mr Jones: Yes, they are In complete agreement and have never expressed an opinion otherwise. Members of the Opposition had done as much to help recruiting as any member of the Government, Mr Hargest said. He resented the statement that because the Opposition did not agree with the Government’s defence policy it was endeavouring to damage the recruiting campaign. The Minister had said that no reference had been made by the Opposition during the election campaign to universal military training. The reason was that a crisis had developed in the last week in September, in the latter part of the campaign, and there was then no time for the Leader of the Opposition to call a caucus and discuss the question. The Minister of Defence was in the Awarua electorate on the Sunday of the crisis looking at post office residences. THE AIR FORCE GROWTH OF PERSONNEL RAPID INCREASE IN TWO YEARS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 20. The growth in the personnel of the Royal New Zealand Air Force since 1935 was traced by the Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones) in an interview to-day. Mr Jones said that at March 31 this year there was a total of 1199 officers and other ranks, against 202 at May 31, 1935, 258 at April 1, 1937, and 606 at March 31, 1938. The present strength of 1199 comprised 57 officers and 622 other ranks in ti .• regular Air Force, 79 officers and 265 other ranks in the Territorial Air Force, 16 officers in the Reserve of Pilots and 160 in the Civil Reserve. The final establishment of the regular Air Force in 1941 would be 209 officers and 1937 other ranks, Mr Jones added. The final establishment of the Territorial would be 100 officers and 450 "other ranks. “ The Civil Reserve of Pilots is being built up at the rate of 150 a year, and in addition a reserve of civilians has been established comprising about 5000 members,” the Minister said.

RESPONSE OF EX-SOLDIERS

SIX HUNDRED ENLISTMENTS'

(Per United Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 20,

More than 600 returned soldiers and ex-regulars who have enlisted in the New Zealand National Military Reserve assembled in the Drill Hall to-night and, after being drafted into platoons, formed the Wellington company of Class II of the reserve. The men, who enlisted in direct response to the appeal of the Prime Minister (Mr Savage) for volunteers, were thanked on behalf of the Prime Minister by Mr J. A. Lee, M.P., a member of the Recruiting

Committee, and were addressed also by Major F. L. Hunt, area staff officer, and Major E. H. Whiting, publicity officer for the central military district. REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY FORMATION OFFICIALLY APPROVED (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 20. A Gazette notice announces that the formation of a regiment of New Zealand artillery, the 23rd Battery, with headquarters at Christchurch, as a unit of the territorials has been approved.