DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 476, 7 April 1909, Page 9

DEFENCE.

MR. J. ALLEN REPLIES TO THE PREMIER. NEW ZEALAND'S DUTY. (Bt TELEQUAriI—rUESS ASSOCIATION.} , Duncdln, April C. Mr. J. Alien. M.P., niado a statoment today in answer to Sir J. G. Ward's reply to his criticism of tho Premier's speech at Upper j Hutt. i Mr. Allen eaid: "Tho Primo Minister's printed words in tho report appearing on Saturday, and the practical repetition of those words this morning in his'reply to , ' my criticism can have only ono interpretation whatever tho Primo Minister may, say, and that is that ho wished people to beliovo that tho Australian system or' defence was au I inadequate system of submarines and do- • stroyers, and next door to childish. I repeat that 1 do not agree with him. Whatever mistake there may bo in detail, thcro is no shadow of doubt that, generally speaking, j tho Australians arc acting, so fur as coastal! and harbour defence is concerned, with all 5 experts at tho Colonial Conference supporting them. Tho experts have said that tho submarine is a most efficient means of harbour defence, perhaps tho most efficient. It is certain that tho Australian Commonwealth has some policy at any rate with regard to > defeuco matters. AVo in Now Zealand havo j none at present. It is simply chaos and' nothing else.

"There, is no need for mo to waste .time in criticising tho Primo Minister's suggestion that great battleships could stand off \ our principal ports and shell the cities. To] anyone knowing anything at all about tho i subject this displays an ignorance which ought' not to be present in the- mind of tlio Minister-, for Defence. In tho lirst place, a gieiit) battleship has to got here, and, in tho second! place, she would scarcely waste ):er valuable aminudtiori in so stupid a thins as shellin,; ai city .with tho possibility that blie- w.uld have' no ammunition in tho couise or a few hours to resist an attack upou herself. lam astonished that the Primo Minister has not| loarned more from tho Conferenco of the l colonial Premiers than apparently ho has. "1 havo not laid down in anything I have said that wo should havo destroyers or submarines. What I have said is that, having j first provided for an adequate- flcot for tho. Mother Country to maintain control of tlioi se.a around her own shores, wp in Australia' and Now Zealand havo our duty to perform, and that I tako to bo relieving the Mother Country of tho cxpenso of tho Australian) Squadron, and providing for an quato system of defenco of our owni shores, by first of all providing efficiently] armed and trained men in sufficient numbers j to deal with a hostile landing; secondly, by coastal defence and harbour defence, sub-' marine or otherwise, as exports may decide,, to provido against the possibility of a raid' into our _ harbours with intent to destroy docks, shipping, and so on; thirdly, as I! havo said, though in this respect I know that I am before tho times, that wo Now ZeaI landers and Australians should, out of our own pockets, put in tho placo of the present , Commonwealth Squadron a sufficient number i" of armoured cruisers to prevent tho possibility of a raid, and to protect our commorcia] routes even beyond. This, to my mind, is pretty clear what our ultimate duty will bo,, if building of ships and if war aro to continuo, but that is looking a good distance ahead, and 1 won't say more- about it now."

SCHOOL CADETS. INSPECTION OP CORPS. i In Tije Dominion of yestovday's date,.; thoro appeared, under tho heading of "Th« Dofonco Forces," a forecast, by "Echelon," ) of tho salient features of the now defence scheme which, in tho opinion of tho writer, ■jvould probably, supersede the presont system, on the abolition, as announced by tho Prinio Minister) of tho Defence, Council. liij (t tho ; course of his remarks .concerning .|tho,j,j cadet corps, "Echelon" observed that "so ■ far ns .tho cadet corps of tho Wellington district are concerned, nobody has inspected them, tested their efficiency, since tho dato of tho Christciuirch Exhibition." TMs statement has sinco been challenged, and referred to tho writer, who now replies: "It has been stated that tho Officer Commanding tho Now Zoaland Public School Cadets inspected tho Wellington units during the period November 19—December 15 of last year. It is satisfactory to learn this, and to this extent my statement as to tho inspection of tho Wellington corps must bo corrected. In justice to tho officer concerned, it is only right that I should admit this, nnd crcditt him with two inspections for tho period named." < ■In 1902, tho total .strength of tho cadets under tho command of LieutcnantColonel Lovcday was 4000; there aro to-day 16,000 cadets, constituted into 339 companies, and organised into 33 battalions, a striking advanco in tho cadet movement during the r<v gimo of the retiring cadet commandant. Our cadet system has attracted tho notice- of Canada, which has been instituting inquiries .concerning organisation, uniforms, etc.; thoi Now Zealand cadot uniform was favourably , commented unon during tho recent visit to Bisley of Cadet Colour-Sergeant Friar, andi has been adopted by Lord Roberts's Boys. J . The movement is particularly strong in the Auckland district; on a recent occasion 1293 cadets paraded for inspection thero at 48 hours' notice.