THE DEFENCE BILL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 931, 26 September 1910, Page 8

THE DEFENCE BILL.

•v.' . PRIME MINISTER'S FICURES EXPLAINED. NUCLEUS OF A; "LANDWEHR," : To thoso who may have experienced some difficulty in arriving at a clear; of , certain, points enun-J ciated by the Prime 'Minister,' (Sir. '.Joseph Ward), .in .his' somewhat, in-volved;'speech-when moving the sccond ' reading of the Defence Bill in Parlia- ; ihent ,'on > Thursday' evening;' the following .explanation';' may; he;, of J.'-interest.: The first point about, which there appears to' be; some ' doubt; ;is' : the statement Itliat , "in peace . time all. persons residing,: in.\ specified ,areas, might; be. exempted;." ' , :'rhis 'is ,;'a : . provision i-to; re-' T lea'se;-.sparsely' settled;'dstriets:from..the :: obligations; of: the schcme,. so that the" . of. .developing-' those "parts -may not .be interfered .with, 'and the difficul-' ,ties'*'6l organising, and ;training\',the : sparsely . settled-;; population .' dispensed'; with . for : the. time; ;being'.': • The exemp-. tion would be withdrawn ultimately, if ;-the : : conditions became-: sufficiently; ,al-; te'red to, warrant it. 'V.; ■ : Again', .the; Prime Minister,preferring: .to the position of affairs as /'it'-.would. be' -in,.1916, \vhen.-the.scheme hadlbeen fivgyears iii operation, sa:id-that "the total' - number' of 'officers and* rank' and" file actively.'. trained in - the.- territorials, and ■vyhpj'.would have passed , mto .-.the re- ' servo; after iiridergoiiig training,' ■ would be; : 40iS/5v In additionto, that, allowing for those who were "'physically unfit,, there would be.- a total of 5000. of the: '18 to' 19-year, men who would have ono .'training, in ,the general, .training -section, a total of 30,000 in six years.; .The', grand - total,, including the 35,000'. "senior cadet's,- would -he 105,000.", These, figures, may be roughly; analysed,as' follows y—h. reference, to ;tho .Prime Minister's. memorandum''ori, th(3' defence of: New_ Zealand, dated; May 10, 1910, and .published •as a; Parliamentary': paper ■ earlier in the session, sliows that approximately 10,096 yoViths will annually reach' the age of- 18j;arid. become: liable, ,to; serve 'as .recruits in«the;territorial .force. The quota' for/ the. annual ,re-; cruit ,draft ; under the Kifcch'enerisch'eme is 3690, leaving 6406, which, minus 1406, ■i-ejected ion grounds- of. physical • ness,"leaves.sooo eighteen-year-olds who.' will (be. called upon ,to serve in the gen-: era! training section for one year. -These '5000, are.inot,to:be confused;; With .the, .recruit, draft of 8690.: The ' latter, is the. basis',of the" territorial force;' the forme'rjthe'nucleus ,of a second reserve,: or "liiridwehr." With their "cadet training and their one .year's training in the general training section, the landwehr ■will .bo ;fit to.;step : into the ranks' if called ':upon -in : " time,.'By'l9l6 this sec,'ond reserve will , total. 30,000.; , In addition,: 2610 time-oxpired men will pass out of the territorial force annually into ,the .first reserve, 'which by;" 1916 will total 13,050.. ■ That, is to: say, in 1916,. adding the estimated strength • of .the -first': reserve,:" 13,050, to v the' total strength of the territorial force, 27,132' —1087 officers, 18,800 non-commissioned officers and. rank and ."file, 486* in officers', training corps, 3690 recruits, 2610 final-year men, and' 459 a grand total 0f'40,000 odd ; is arrived at.. Add- to that again the landwehr of 30,000,' and the result is the 70,000 odd which puzzled some of. the critics. Finally, add'on 35,000 cadets, and the Prime Minister's 105,000 is explained.;