NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE NEEDS

Waikato Times, Volume 123, Issue 20679, 14 December 1938, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE NEEDS

Most arresting of the statements of Mr H. E. Barrowclough, who spoke at Hamilton in the interests of the New Zealand Defence League, was that regarding the possibility of the Dominion being occupied by the Japanese in the event of a general war. Were the British Empire at war, 'say with Germany, Italy and Japan, the obvious strategy of the enemy would be to cut off food supplies from Britain. New Zealand as a great supplier of many essential foods would therefore certainly receive attention. *lt is commonly suggested that the worst New Zealand might expect is a raid, but if the desire of the enemy was to deprive Britain of supplies, which indeed could be used by the enemy, something more substantial than a raid might be undertaken.

Command of the seas is the obvious answer, but Britain would need to maintain a powerful force in the Pacific to render New Zealand safe from a hostile Japan. The New Zealand Defence League argues that the Dominion requires a much more powerful land force to meet a possible invasion by an enemy seeking to occupy the country. It believes New Zealand could mobilise an army of 150,000 men, which could offer almost insuperable opposition to any invading army which had to be transported thousands of miles by sea and en route run the gauntlet of the Navy. There is logic in the argument, and it is being supported by an increasing number of people. New Zealand is prone to belittle its own strength and to leave Great Britain to provide for its defence. Of course, without the Navy the Dominion would be helpless against the greater Powers, but the Navy has the strength to reduce any invading force to numbers that would not be beyond the capacity of New Zealand’s own land forces if they were properly organised. A tremendous and unweildy convoy of ships would be required to land an enemy force capable of subduing the 100,000 men New Zealand could concentrate.