AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16732, 13 May 1922, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE.

GOVERNMENT'S POLICY. ALL-ROUND REDUCTION OF 25 PER CENT. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. Australian aud N.Z. Cable Association. SYDNEY, May 13. Air. Hughes announced tho Defence Policy of the Government in a. speech a.t Muilumbimby. He stated that the providing for a total reduction of £1,750,000 below’tho estimated expenditure of 1921. The reductions had been made possible by xhe decisions of the Washington Conference. Limited defence measures were necessary. Hence provision was being made for manufacturing munitions, but with a reduced output, so that the nucleus of the defence organisations would exist to be amplified in the case of emergency. The Government intended to use 12-inch guns oil H.M.A.S. Australia for strengthening coastal defence. A number of vessels in the Australian Fleet and all of the Submarine Flotilla would l>e placed on the reserve. The personnel of the latter would be retained and distributed among the vessels in commission so that they could l>e available if necessary. There would be great reductions in the army. Tt was proposed to abolsh junior cadet Training. The cadets in the future, would be trained between the. ages of sixteen and eighteen, and would then pass into the military. Their training would cease w hen they had reached 20 years of age. Everything would ho reduced to practically twenty-five per cent, of the war strength. Compensartion wdnld be paid to those soldiers who would be retired, unless they were absorbed into other Government Departments. The Air Service for the present would be reduced from four squadrons to one, but the civil aviation vote would be increased.