Dominion Defence

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 88, 18 August 1923, Page 3

Dominion Defence

THE COST TO NEW ZEALAND. VIEWS IN THE HOUSE. Per Press Association Wellington, August 17. The House went into committee of supply to-night to consider the vote of £338,699 for jnaval defence. Replying to questions, Sir 11. H, Rhodes., the Minister in chargo, said the new cruiser replacing the Chatham would ho an oil burner and provision would bo mado for oil depots at Auckland and Wellington,. He could not make a definite statement as to how far the aviation and naval policy would be co-ordinated until the Premier returned from the Imperial Conference, but he believed there would be a seaplane, base in the vicinity of Auckland. " So far as possible it was the Government's policy to man the cruisers in New Zealand waters by young New Zeala.nders and there would bo a 'proportion of New Zealandors among the officers. A hundred of the men who came- out to man. the Chatham had taken their discharge here and were remaining in New Zealand, whore ho had every hope they would succeed ill getting employment and make good settlers. It was of the utmost importance to every individual that our trade .routes'should bo protected and that was the reason for the increased vote for naval .defence. An attack upon the vote was launched by M H. E. Holland (Leader of the Labor Party), who urged that New Zealand's best defence was not weak cruisers, but the State's own merchant ships, so constructed that they could bo rapidly transformed into armed* merchantmen.

Mr Modsey replied that our expenditure on naval defence wag small per head of the population compared with the importance of the protection of our trade routes. He con id not see any reason why the British navy should be again required in the North Sea for many years, but it might be required in the Pacific, and that was justification for the proposed naval base at Singapore America had a naval base in tlw Pacific, which he had seen and nhich to him seemed impregnable. Britain had no'such base and \jt was necessary she should have this form of protection!. He would, not go back upon the Washington agree ment, which was a very fine piece of work, but the moment we let the British navy fall into a state of inefficiency that moment we were in \danger of falling under the rule of a foreign flag. Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East) maintained that the money being on naval defence would bo better'spent on promoting the'happiness arid comfort of our people, which, after all, was the best defence the country could have. Mr L. M. Isitt (Christ-church North), in an impassioned speech., declared that the mask had dropped from the face of the Labor Party, who now appeared in their true light, and who, while declaring that recruiting for tho navy Was unpopular amongfet New Zealanders, were doing their best to spread a spirit of disloyalty amongst our young people by publishing in their official organ poetry of a disloyal character.

Mr J. McCombs (Lyttelton) contended Now Zealand should do everything possible .to aid the League of Natioiis and that we should prepare for peace and not for war. In the past we had prepared for war and we know what the result had been. Mr T. M. Wilford (Leader df the Opposition) argued for a small but highly-sufficient band of officers, who could .train soldiers when the call came, rather than a large number of indifferently-trained men. We should be with offieersi, dven if wo were 'not ready with men. AVIATION PROPOSALS. The Minister, in reply, Said that if the territorial system was unpopular it waa so because, of necessity, camps had been abolished. The question of an aviation station at Auckland had not boon forgotten, but the difficulty was to discover a site where aeroplanes and seaplanes could be parked together. The Government did not wish to discourage riflo clubs and he was considering a further grant for free ammunition to encourage young fellows to indulge in what the Government regarded a-) , one of the most desirable of sports. The net cost to the country of tho ; Sockburn aerodrome was £21,012. A I portion of the 164 acres on which the aerodrome was situated Would, jhe thought, be cut up to advantage and would materially reduce the cost to the. country. Mr H. Atmore (Nelson) advocated the development of tho cadet movement as the foundation of the dofonce system. | Mr H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch ast) contended that the total amount of tho vote wa s out of all proportion to the amount we ought to spend on the alleged system of defence. It Avas not our territorial system which made our Jioldiers the fine men they were. He was not against the Empire and he wanted to see it grow and become greater, but the best stimulus was not the class defence but patriotism. Tho vote was passed.