A WARNING NOTE.

Waikato Times, Volume 98, Issue 15319, 21 August 1923, Page 8

A WARNING NOTE.

AUSTRALIA'S DEFENCE.

MUST BE SELF-CONTAINED.

The unfulfilled hopes of world peace, and the necessity of preparedness in defence matters, are subjeots of report by the Inspector-General cf the Australian Military Forces.

"The very isolation of Australia," says Lieutenant-General Sir H- G. Chauvel, "so far from being a cause of security, is to-day a source of dangler, and the experience of the lste war, particularly in ■ the maintenance of sea communications, has shown that Australia must be self-contained in every possible way in order that she may be .able to hold her own for some months at least in the event of attack. "The people of Australia have accepted, and still accept, the denuding of their defences with a complacency which would be difficult to comprehend were it not that the factors inducing such complacency are well known. Diminishing Security. "But the advance made during recerit years in the naval and air forces of ' foreign Powers is gradually diminishing the security afforded by distance. The Royal Navy has also i been considerably ' reduced, and | modern naval requirements include docks and other essentials not at present available for operations for the defence of Australia. "It was six months after the outbreak of the late war before the first contingent despatched from Australia was considered fit to take the field, and yet it comprised the very flower of Australia, and was officered by men of many years' training in the permanent and citizen forces. The man in the street will never understand that it is one thing to sandwich a few partially-trained men into a battalion of trained soldiers, and another thing to send a whole battalion of partiallytrained men into action.

"The value of the A.1.F.," says General Chauvel, "is fast diminishing. In any case, were 1 even 140,000 men available, 'they would be of no value without the necessary armament and munitions.

"Until some other means than war are definitely established to provide for national aspirations and the overflow of our surplus populations," he says, "it is still, necessary, for every nation to be prepared to defend itself against aggression; Shortage of Officers.

"With the reduced establishment and period of training," he says, "it is quite out of the question to train an army for the defence of Australia. The year's work has been devoted to maintaining a nucleus of the divisional organisation, and has been fairly satisfactory with the serious exception of the production of the non-commis-sioned officer, affecting the production of the officer.

"In this connection, promising youths, with some few remarkable exceptions, are not coming forward, and unless some action is taken to make non-commissioned rank more attractive there will be. a serious shortage of officers dn the future. "That the period of camp training is all too short, even to meet the oncis desired, cannot be denied, but it 's not my intention to recommend an extension, as I am well aware of the paramount necessity of providing armament and munitions,- and_ any further amounts voted by Parliament should be devoted to this end."