MANAGING THE NEXT WAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16452, 14 June 1921, Page 5

MANAGING THE NEXT WAR.

LESSONS OF THE PAST. DR BOXER’S VIEWS. 3>r Boxer, retiring president of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, presented at the Dominion Conference a memorandum covering a number of problems relative to war, and drawing, as he explained, a series of conclusions that might serve as the basis of action in the event of another war occurring (says the 4 4 Otago Daily Times ”)• He did not pretend that his paper was more than a crude draft of what he considered desiraDle, but he hoped that it would prove the scaffold on which a more comprenensive communication might eventually be prepared for submission to the Government.

The memorandum was taken as read. The principal passages are as follow :

After close association with soldier problems for some yean I am very desirous of laying before this council of the association and through it futuro councils and executives certain points of prime importance to the next generation of soldiers. Personally, 1 feel that we are in danger of being swamped with a mass of resolutions on various matters, and in the surge miss the solid ground. I believe that, great as was the part played in the war by New Zealand, there is great room for improvement if and when another war breaks upon us, a tiling that we must always bo prepared for.

COMPULSORY SERVICE. Admitting that the majority of New Zealand men would rather render service voluntarily than by compulsion. I am yet of the firm belief that from the outset of war, rational military service should bo enforced, subject to sufficient safeguards. it should not be possible for a man, say, with a wife and six children, to volunteer at tho outbreak, and, being killed, for tho country to be saddled for tho next (approximately) twenty years with the maintenance or his wife and family in decreasing ratio as the children attain their ago limit, when an unmarried man could have been sent.

This occurred in 1914-15 (vide Sir James Allen). The available manhood of the country should be classified lieforeliand so that from the outset the classes may be called up—always with the provisio that exceptional circum-

stances may at the determination of tho Minister of Defence oveiride the main contention—e.g., an officer commanding a regiment or a valuable staff officer, with a large family, may be permitted to come out oi* Ida ‘‘class ” and enlist voluntarily for narronal reasons- It might be necessary to allow tho main body, and perhaps the first and second reinforcements, perfect freedom of enlistment, but full military service should be enforced in time to make the third reinforcement entirely a “class” matter; and not as in the case of tho late war, allow voluntary reinforcements to go forward before applying the legal authority. In the event of New Zealand being threatened within her own borders, there need be no doubt as to willingness to enlist, and as it is bound to be as great, or greater, an emergency than in 1914, I believe that no limit should be placed on voluntary enlistment, and I wish to make the following suggestions:—(a) Either the drafting of a skeleton Military Service Act, such to he kept up to date year by year in view of changing Imperial obligations and able for instant adoption on the outbreak of war. or an Act actually on the S'atute Book to become operative on the declaration of war* (b) a national nominal roll arranged by classes should be in existence and kept up-to-date by the Statistician’s Office, subject to such tribunals as oay be necessary to safeguard the civilian interests. NATIONAL MOBILISATION. I am of the confirmed opinion that the entire nation should be mobilised for war—-not merely its manhood of military age, but all others. It should not bo possible for any one—for an\ body or company of people—to be enriched by war, but all endeavour, all profits caused by war should be applied to the ono end. National mobilisation should take place coincident with the outbreak of war, not waiting till some further emergency or danger had arrived. PAY AND ALLOWANCES. I emphatically believe that if such ire increased at any time, they should oe made retrospective. The position diat obtained in 1918 as cqpipnred to 914 should not be allowed. For exniple, it should not have been possible .or a “conscripted” officer in 1918 to * ■;inmand a larger income than that of his “ volunteer ” fellow-officer in 1914. there would seem to be very good his uoricul precedent for the granting of t war gratuity, but 1 am not convinced that such is a necessity, although it vas in many cases a great assistance to a man in repatriating himself. PENSIONS. I believe that pensions should be of two distinct Usability, (2) for economic disability, liie anomaly has existed from all warhat pensions have been granted merely m a “ schedule of injuries.” Such is m indefensible proposition, and the uggestion is thrown out that the disibied soldier should be entitled to two jensions—one granted through “ pennons ” and the other through “ re>atriation,” with a constant liaison between the two departments. In my opinion this “ scale” should not be petrified by legislation as percentages of a fixed figure. It is- obvmis that tho 40s per week, petrified legislation in 1915, is not of the same value now as then. 1 believe that the ‘•full pension ” and percentages thereof should rise and fall in relation to the purchasing power of the sovereign. SOLDIERS’ FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. Iu principle this was a very fine thing, but in practice it did not give great satisfaction, and for the following two errors of administration:—(l) there was too much centralisation. The S.F.A. Board sat in Wellington, where* [ as S.F.A. Boards should have been esabiiehed in all centres where Repartition Committees now sit. (2) The op-i-iou of the Act was not made retroactive —e.g., a man unfortunate enough to be wounded and discharged prici to January. 1917, had no claim before tno S.F.A. Board. This was

grossly unfair, and the position indefensible REPATRIATION . I yield to none in my admiration of lu« spseiioic result of repatriation m New Zealand and the efforts of the Government, but I feel that the results '•ijght have been better still. To this end I believe that there should have been set up, co-incidentallv and parallel with the Pensions Board, a Boa id of Repatriation, such board to be under tho direction of a Minister of Repatriai on. The chief fault in tl\p past was l it was not until after the annist .-: r in November. 1918, that the Repatriation Act became law. This was an error. The decentralisation of the Repatriation Department has had most happy results, and I believe that there will always be enough voluntary patriotism in New Zealand to work again on similar lines. Furthermore, 1 affirm the necessity of viewing repatriation from a unified standpoint : that whether a man be settled in general business or on tho land, both are repatriation. Therefore, repatriation will fall under two main heads; General and land. The present-day values of land depend on the military activities of our men. This is* admittedly a statement of fact. Therefore, seeing that soldiers created the value, it would appear wrong in principle that the soldiers should have to pay to-day, and continue to pay, though the capital values fall below the land values of 1920. Sufficient land should have been appropriated in 19151916 to settle the returning men. Hnu this been done, a mail would have bought in or leased at reasonable values and not at the present inflated vai--IWe know that the Lands Department has been swamped with the work thrown on to it. I believe that the Department in question should nave been reinforced for the emergency created. not by officials, but by calling upon the willing assistance of such ci the public as are versed in land affairs. More land boards or sub-boards, a larger personnel, less red tape. There could have been set up boards identical in composition and control with those set up bv “ repatriation,” and the work would and could have been done 300 per cent faster than has been the case. Partieulnrlv do the above, remarks applv to the settlement of men iu urban areas under Section 111. of the TASS. Act. If local boards —preferably repatriation committees—had dealt witlv applications an immense amount of time and worry would have been saved. PATRIOTIC FOCUS The administration of these funds has been most excellent, and there are but two outstanding things to criticise From 1915 till 1918 it was left to the Patriotic and War Relief Associations to assist the national problem of iepatriation. This should not nave been the case, as repatriation is obviously a national affair, whereas pure war relief is a matter over and above Government assistance. The community at large, bv its noble subsenpi tion, gave .ample proof of its desire to allow a personal note to be struck by relieving war distress. _ Had tbe'-e been no patriotic relief distress would have been very acute. On tlie otlier hand, 1 am tempted to believe th"t had there been no funds available the Government would have been forced to nass the Repatriation Act at an earlier date than December, 1918. I believe that from the start some common system should have been en forced by legislation through a central executive of patriotic bodies. No license to collect monevs for patriotic purposes should have been issued to nnv committee who did not undertake to abide by certain regulations and decisions of a Dominion patriotic executive. This would have stopped the different policies adopted by the different bodies concerned. Pome local funds, in spite of protest from this association, gave cash grants in order to close the fund. Some have conserved their capital, and are able todav to continue to assist the totally incapacitated soldier, whereas ether funds, themselves short, desire a pooling of fund= in order that their own local “ c°ses ” may reap benefits thereby. This is not as it should be. and I believe that at the outset funds should be controlled by a patriotic council, while administered and adjudi bv local prmw’H/ipr, Do-o'- -'•■'c •v"'”'’orl a vo+e than 1r «j for his TPP’»mrppd"m. and an i• i struct.inn was given to the incoming executive to submit the memorandum to district councils for consideration