DEFENCE OF DOMINION

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1930, Page 11

DEFENCE OF DOMINION

BRANCH IN NEW PLYMOUTH

SUPPORT FOR THE MOVEMENT.

DISCUSSION OF DEFENCE VOTE.

The defence vote was discussed at a public meeting in New Plymouth last at which an attendance of about 30° was presided over by Colonel C. H. Weston. A New Plymouth council of the National Defence League of New Zealand was elected. Outlining the aims of the league, the chairman said he ’had been, asked to call a meeting to form a district council. The league,' he said, had been revived in 1920°indcr General Russell, and had remained in existence, though only in skeleton form, until the present Government “cuts”; had' been made, when it had revived ■ all over New Zealand. ■When asked by headquarters to call the meeting he had replied by assuring it that there was a'-very general feeling among a great many people in Taranaki that the defence vote should not be cut in such a., manner. It was true that a great many people were alarmed at the Government proposals, or, rather, lack of proposals. However, all training had been stopped and equipment returned, 'and it had been said that the intension wps to'cut : out the compulsory clauses from the Defence Act. But the present proposal was to postpone training for one year. It was not tco harsh to°say that the Government had been very surreptitious in its movements, and had consulted directly neither the people nor the staff concerned with training, '

REDUCTION GOES TO ROOT OF ACT.

The league did not quarrel with the Defence' vote as regards economy, but it objected to the vote going to the root and branch of the Act. The vote itself was a comparatively small one, and the reduction was out of all keeping with its' size.'; The members of die league were all peace-lovers, and supporters of the League of Nations, but were emphatic that New Zealand should not disarm entirely. ,One of the largest planks in the league platform was glance to the British Empire. He referred eulogistically to an address delivered by Mr. W. Perry as one of the speaker at the deputation from the general “‘and 11 Wellington, district councils of .the ' 'league, which waited upon the Prime .’Minister of,. Defence (the Hon. J. G. ‘ Cobbe) on June 17. Training for.the youth of the.country, Colonel' .Weston continued, was very valuable socially, .and it was intended at some',time'io emphasise this by changing the words ‘‘military training” to “civil training.” ' The statement < was current that the training received by boys was of litle actual military value in a time of crises, but all those .present were aware of the very reel value of the system, based as it had been on the British manual of training and approved standards as were adopted in other countries. In the training of soldiers the system was and had been of very real value.

MOTION TO FORM LEAGUE.

Captain F. L. Hartnell moved that the meeting elect a New Plymouth council of the _National Defence League oi New Zealand, and that it was felt wise that a defence league should be formed and that it should function energetically throughout New Zealand. Anything that interfered with training in New Zealand was not right, he said. It seemed to him wrong that 'New Zealand, probably the richest part of the Empire, should let the Mother Country bear all the burden, part of which New Zealand was quite able to shoulder. The motion w'as seconded by Mr, B. White, who supported the remarks' of the chairman. .' Support for military training was accorded by Mr. E. Griffiths, who said that he had boys of his own who had gone through the , routine of training, and he realised the benefits that accrued to the civilian through such training. Of the /'military aspect, he could not s eak, biit the moral and civil value was very, .great. After leaving school the youth' of'the Dominion should have some ; <?&ntrbl and undergo some disci- • pline. voluntary system, he continuedj'while it had been of value, was not to be compared with territorial training. There were many advantages inherent in the territorial system it did not possess. In answer to Mr. White the chairman said the obligation of becoming a member of the league was a fee of 2s. 6d., of which Cd. went to the headquarters at Wellington, and 2s. was de voted to work in the district. The duties were nil. Mr. W. N. Stephenson said he had been impressed with, the attitude of many people who said that war Was'a thing of the past, but he pointed out the people of a large number of nations were Christian; though not all unanimous in their views. However, the great body of them were peace-lov-ing. But. there was another very strong religion, Mohammedanism, the followers of which were not averse to fighting, it being believed that those who died jn battle had a free pass to heaven. There was ever-present the 'menace and danger pf such wars in the future. HEALTH VALUE OF CAMPS. The health value of camps was stressed by Dr. G. H. Thomson, who was- positive that boys attending camps learned to consider their duties towards others and to themselves in health matters. It had been very noticeable in past camps that every boy co-operated with his neighbour in preserving the health of all.

“This matter of military training is one of defence, not aggression,” remarked Mr. White. In the absence of the assurance that New Zealand would not be assailed from without, he did not

think the policy of. neglecting training •justifiable. The Empire had been built up by those who had fought for it. How was it possible . to. retain it if there was not a defence ready? Three ■words illustrated the evolution of an empire. It was sought for, wrought for and fought for. Every new settlement that might be the embryo of an empire was generally started by those who went seeking new places. Having discovered these places, the first thing to do was to work. That was where the

word ‘wrought’ came in, and finally the

settlements had to..be held, and the only - ..way to hold, the hito' fight. It was. (pnly huriian nature tliat some meh should