THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, July 21, 1399. THE DEFENCE FORCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23866, 21 July 1939, Page 8

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, July 21, 1399. THE DEFENCE FORCES

In his statement in the House of Representatives in which he traversed the steps taken by the Government to develop the land forces of the country the Minister of Defence furnished some useful information. It is of interest to know that the present strength of the territorial forces is 898 officers and 11,017 of other ranks, which represents, after all, no very remarkable result from the “ drive ” to secure enlistments inaugurated by the Government two months ago. But in his speech Mr Jones talked round his subject a good deal in taking up points of criticism of the Government’s policy. Defence is not a party question, and a difference of opinion may well exist in the community, outside politics altogether, as to whether the voluntary system is capable of meeting the Dominion’s land defence requirements at the present time. The Government believes in the voluntary system, and takes the responsibility of adherence to it in the matter of military training. In everything that it can do to make the system effective it would be entitled to co-operation, if only on the principle that half an army must be better than none at all. But Mr Jones finds it strange, apparently, that some members of the Opposition, while professing a desire to assist the Government, should suggest that it is not doing enough, and advocate compulsory military training. It would be interesting to know, he has mggested, why members of the Opposition have raised the compulsory training issue at the present time. The Minister is just too naive in his assertion of so pained an interrogatory plaint. For if the issue is worth raising at all, manifestly it is precisely at the present juncture, which, in relation to defence preparation, is one of approximate emergency, that the occasion for raising it is opportune and pressing. Members of the Opposition have only been saying in Parliament what other members of the community have been saying outside Parliament. As for the Minister’s complaint that they have made no constructive suggestions, if the suggestion that the Government should introduce compulsory training is not to be considered constructive, then the working of the Ministerial mind becomes something of a mystery. Again Mr Jones returned to a theme upon which representatives of the Government have been prone to waste too many words in declaring that the past Government allowed the defence forces of the Dominion to fall into a deplorable state. But the Opposition might take a leaf out of his book and suggest that it would be of interest to know why members of the present Government have thought fit only now to draw attention to these shortcomings on the part of a previous Administration. In the depression years the Labour Opposition was not concerning itself about the provision which a Government functioning u der the pressure of a necessity for economy in the national expenditure was making for defence. Nor was the Government which gave place to the present Administration confronted with any such situation in respect of the need for building up the national defence system as that which its successor is compelled to recognise. The circumstances which have impelled Great Britain to re-arm on a huge scale are the circumstances which impel New Zealand to look to her defences, and to regard the matter as one of considerable urgency. The changes in the strategical situation as compared with that which existed in 1914 have to be reckoned with i i a calculation of what is requisite for New Zealand’s adequate defence today. This throws upon the Government in office but a larger responsibility. If comparison of expenditure on the land forces during the last decade did not reflect the increase in the past two j-ears to which the Minister has pointed, and if a larger expenditure in the next two years were not part of the Government’s programme, its grasp of its responsibilities would indeed be open to question. The Minister has agreed that what is most essential is to have a sufficient number of trained men to meet any emergency. In suggestions that the steps which the Government is taking to satisfy that requirement are not the most effective which it could introduce he could at least discover the strongest support for what is recognised as a most important national objective. The Territorial Associations are playing a very useful part in encouraging recruiting. Territorial service has been made more interesting, and camp life more attractive, and the improved conditions are apparently appreciated by those concerned. But the Minister has not himself claimed that the rate of progress recorded in building up the land forces has been distinctly impressive.