RECRUITING FOR NAVY.

Waikato Times, Volume 98, Issue 16096, 20 September 1924, Page 8

RECRUITING FOR NAVY.

N.Z. SCHEME CRITICISED. HON. T. M. WILFORD'S COMMENT. COSTLY AND GHASTLY FAILURE. No time was lost by the Leader of the Opposition yesterday in condemning the naval recruiting scheme, which he de-" scribed as a costly and ghastly failure. He moved a reduction in the Estimates of £1 as an indication that it should be abandoned. The amendment was lost by 32 to 26. (By Telegraph—Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Friday. When the House in Committee of supply came to the item "Naval defence" in the Estimates, the total vote being £330,465 (expended last year £285,723), the Leader of the Opposition (Mr T. M. Wilford) said he proposed to move an amendment that the item be reduced by £1 as an indication that the Philomel should be scrapped, and that the naval recruiting scheme be abandoned. "I do not believe that New Zealand is going to be a country in which recruiting for the navy is going to be a success," said Mr Wilford. "There are many thousands of suitable young people at Home who may be recruited for the navy, and who are made of the stuff that has made our men in blue famous; but it is not a question of quality or necessity." He did not deny that the country would require harbour defences, but the scheme at present was plainly not satisfactory. Under the heading of maintenance of the Philomel, with the recruits, the country had spent last year £50,000, and had only 80 recruits. All that New Zealand had done had resulted in failure. In order to test the feeling of the House as to whether the Philomel should remain, he proposed to call for a division. The manning of such ships from different parts of the Empire had proved, so far as New Zealand was concerned, "a costly and ghastly failure." In moving the amendment, Mr Wilford asked the Minister what defence he could offer for the expenditure of £50,000 for the Philomel maintenance.

Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East, Labour), said the naval expenditure of the Dominion had increased to a greater extent than any other country In the world, and yet it was proposed to continue spending money in preparation for war. Last year the country disposed of a cruiser but replaced it by another costing a considerable sum, and it was proposed to obtain another.

The Minister of Defence (the Hon. Sir R. H. Rhodes) said there were no failures in the naval recruiting scheme, and young fellows were corning forward in sufficient numbers, so much so, in fact, that the Department would be able to withdraw the recruiting officer at an early date. Members on the opposite benches would do well to realise the necessity of giving every inducement lb the men to join the navy. The ratings that had been sent Home had been very well reported on, and it was worth while to see that a young man was given the best experience and to 'know that they were available in New Zealand. Mr Lee: You are not getting many.

The Minister: At all events, I would sooner have a New Zealandcr on a New Zealand ship than the imported article any time. It is not production we want so much as protection. We must be prepared for attack; it was idle to argue otherwise, and to say that a Dominion such as New Zealand should not have the means of defending herself in the case of an attack. The Labour Government at Home, as a matter of fact, had not ignored defence. , A Labour member: "They have reduced it by £7,000,000.

The Minister said it was proposed to.have another cruiser in New Zealand, and he would not mind if there was still another. Natural Love for the Sea.'

The Prime Minister expressed surprise that the Leader of the Opposition should move such an amendment. Perhaps no country had so neglected to produce sailors as New Zealand, and yet no country had such excellent material from, which to recruit the British Navy. Naturally New Zealanders should take to the sea "like a duck to water," because they were an island race. If the amendment moved by the Leader of the Opposition went through the British papers would publish the fact that New Zealand, the most British of all countries, had snubbed an attempt to recruit men for the Navy which had made the Britisher famous.

Mr Wilford said Japan possessed 22 light cruisers, all two, three or four knots faster than anything in commission in \ the British or the United States navies. "Our cruisers cannot show heels to the Japanese," he declared, "and they are cruisers belonging to a country we are frightened of, and rightly so. Our aircraft, our harbour defence, have been provided because of one menace, and that is Japan." Philomel Still Useful. ,

"It is true that the Philomel is not fit to put to sea," rejoined Sir lleaton Rhodes, "but she is none the less a useful training ship. Moreover, we must have officers for the administrative and stores staff. The Philomel serves very well in that respect, and if she is scrapped the country wilt he put to the expense of building naval barracks."

The Hon. W. Downie Stewart said that as Mr Wilford and his party recognised it was necessary to do something in the way of naval defence he hoped they would not allow themselves to associate with a party that ridiculed the idea of any naval defence at all. The Soundest Policy. Mr Downie Stewart quoted Admiral Dumarcsq's words to him that he considered New Zealand was pursuing the soundest naval policy of any of the Britisli Dominions. One of the main objects of that policy was to train our own personnel. The more payment of cash or maintenance of ships was not enough. The ' amendment was defeated by 32 votes to 26. Mr 11. Atmore (Nelson) voted with the Government. The total vote for naval defence was then passed.