Thames Star WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1937. THE DEFENCE POLICY.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 20095, 25 August 1937, Page 2

Thames Star

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1937. THE DEFENCE POLICY.

“With mahet towards non*s with charity for ail; with firmn*** in tha right, at God givaa u* to a*a th* right."—Lincoln.

In its earlier years, Thames was a strong 'volunteering centre, and its military parades were a feature of the town. The drill hall in Grahamstown was the centre around which gathered men in striking uniforms who were proud to give their time to military training. Those days have gone, and the defence of the Dominion has become a matter of some concern. Last Saturday a statement on the position was made from Wellington. However, to those who hoped that the Government was prepared to make a real contribution to the task of putting New Zealand’s land defences in order, the statement by the Minister for Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, will pi’ove a disappointment. Still, judgment on the Government’s defence policy must be reserved until the extent of its proposed expenditure' on the Air Foi’ce is disclosed. The Government has indicated, and confirmation is given by Saturday’s announcement, that the air service is the one that will receive most attention. As this scrvice has certainly been the most neglected of the thi*ee, and as its value as a deterrent to attack is proved, no fault can be found with the policy of concentrating activities upon it. Nevertheless, the infantry remains the backbone of defence, and it is apparent from the Minister’s statement that the reorganisation proposed will entail 'very little increased expenditure and in turn will not add to the efficiency and popularity of the infantry. Pay is to granted for bivouacs and courses in addition to the payment already made for night parades and camps, but it is extremely doubtful if this will prove a sufficient inducement for increased volunteering, which is the acid tost of the reorganisation. High wages, shorter hours and restrictions and the failure oi! the Government to give a lead to employers are likely to make volunteering and attendances at camps and bivouacs even more difficult- in the future than in the past. A splendid gesture by the Government in conjunction with the statement of reorganisation would have been to announce that all members of the public service would be gi'anted every facility and encouragement to 'volunteer and attend camps and bivouacs. This encouragement has been lacking in the past, and until it is given, the meagre amount of mechanisation proposed will be insufficient to cause volunteering to increase. So far as coastal defence is concei’ned, it is doubtful if sufficient young men can be enrolled for a period of three months, even at a pex*iod when seasonal employment is at low ebb. If the Government intends to provide expensive coastal equipment it should be prepared to add to its regular foi'ces to man it. Summed up, the reorganisation plan is one of words rather than deeds. The Government is not pi*cpared to add to the efficiency of the land forces by spending more money on them nor is it prepared to give a lead to cmployei’s so as to encourage recruiting. From the point of view of home defence or the dispatching of an expeditionary force, the new scheme gives no more security to New Zealand than the last. The Dominion’s land forces remain a skeleton, with the only difference that some of the bones have been forced into a new position.