OUR DEFENCES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 498, 4 May 1909, Page 5

OUR DEFENCES.

THE-MILITIA: ABOUT 3800 OFFICERS SHORT. (Br TEt.iaitAm.—srccui. caimtsroNDiHT.) ' „ . Auckland, May 3. ilio^lost;of,.too series of articles upon "A Now ZoAlaiKler's H°rao M is published in today s Herald.' After dealing . further with our volunteer forces,.tho.article gives some astonishing information about the militia stowing, _on a compilation mado by Captain Harrowell lato of the Now Zealand Defence or rw?' .■ . H lO militia, /estimated at 00,000 exclusive of the volunteer force, wero called out to-morrow there would only be 50m0.150. officers' available, or about 3800 short. Sir- Joseph Ward, in bis., speech at lnvercargill ,011 Saturday night, stated that there vvero 160,000 men in tho Dominion capablo of; service; When this is so it. only accentuates tho position as regards tho militia. After deducting : 20,000 as tho, full strength ?L°nm Vol " ntce . r - f orce ' , 5t l6:wes a f orc'o of 140,000 men, which would require some 6524 ofheers, or 6374 moro. than are available at prosont. The article concludes as follows:— In tho interests of pcaco, in tho interests of their own homes, New Zealanders should oomnel the Government, which has not fulfilled its responsibilities .as regards defence in the past, to at' least do so in tho future by providing for universal training and taking steps to hnvo our forts equipped with a suHiciont number of modern guns and searchlights, and ample provision made in tho direction of small arms and field artillery."