AUSTRALIA AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2344, 29 December 1914, Page 6

AUSTRALIA AND THE WAR

PROPOSED REINFORCEMENTS

DEBATES IN PARLIAMENT

Tho intentions of the Commonwealth Government with regard to the dispatch of further contingents to the front were the subject of a debate in the l'ederal Senate ou December 16. Senator Millen, who was Minister of Defonce in fhe Cook Ministry, in referriug to the position of Australia, eaid he had emphasised on a previous occasion, Australia was as much involved in the war as any other part of the Empire. We should not say, "Wo are doing as much as other Dominions," and be satisfied. Wo should do our best. (Hear, hear.) Wo should make the greatest efforts possible, lne Prime .Minister had said that Australia was in the war to the "last man; the last shilling." All were in agreement with_ that. (Hear, hear.) But were we doing as much as was possible 't Could we pretend that we were putting forward our greatest effort? No. In the first three monthe of the war, he went, on Australia had trained and equipped over 20,000 men for servioe abroad. In the meantime the Government had proceeded to train and equip additional men, and up to the presont moment something like 39,000 men were enlisted.

Senator Pearce: Forty-two thousand have already been provided for and in training. Senator Millen; The Estimates snow that it is intended to only send 42,000 this financial year. That means that only 3000 additional men are to be enlisted during the next six months. Senator Pearce: No; 3000 men will be enlisted every month. They are not included in the 42,000. Senator Millen: Over 50,000, I understood the position, and I am delighted at the enlightenment. lam not seeking to retard your efforts; I am trying to strengthen your hands—(hear, hear) —but I don't want our recruiting to go on at a medium rate, there being a speeding up only hi the case of emergency. It may then be too late. Wβ should go full speed right through. Australia can supply, all the equipment that is required. Perhaps we cannot order it to-day and get it to-morrow, but if we make provision to-day, it will bo ready when required. With regard to rifles, there are in Australia to-day a sufficient number to arm a larger force than we are sending away, without denuding the country of weapons for home defence. We should speed up recruiting by advertising. In this way, we n-ould get double the number of volunteers. At present wo are only taking cnem as they come along. Almost simultaneously several speeches were being delivered in the House of RepTsentatives on the attitude of Australia towards the war, and on the extent of the_ assistance which it is giving. The immediate subject was the mil to grant pensions to the expeditionary forces. Mr. Cook expressed the view that Australia could do much more in connection with the war than she was doing. Mr. Fisher: Havo you seen the latest Canadian figures. Mr. Cook: Yes; 106,000 men available for service.

Mr. Fisher: Wβ have more Mr. Cook: Canada lias already sent two contingents, each of 30,000 men, to the front, as against our 20,000. Mr. Fisher: There is no limitation to the number we will send. Sir W. H. Irvine: The necessity is now. . Mr. Cook: Yes, tho great thing is urgency—celerity. The Defence Minister had said that 20,000 men had gono to the war, 13,000 were going this month, while 2000 were to be dispatched every month as reinforcements. , • Mr. Fisher: All trained men will be sent as Boon as they are fit to go. Mr. Cook: It means that at the end of the year you will have only 33,000 effectives in the field. To keep the 33,000 effectives reinforcmontß of 2000 will be necessary. Mr. Page: A very small margin, too. Mr. Cook: You will find, I think, that Canada will doublo her hundred thousand already provided for. Wo are not doing enough. Mr. Fisher, replying to these remarksi eaid that Australia had been, singularly fortunate in having sent a perfectly equipped contingent. She had done much in other ways. She had done more than any other Dominion, both as'hore and afloat; but tho handicap was in connection with training. Every available officer who could train men was at work. There would bo no end to the number of men that would bo trained, no limiting of the number that would bo sent abroad. The Government had never at any time limited itself to the number asked for. Mr. Oook: Wo offered 30,000 before wo left office. I have heard of no countermanding order. The Imperial authorities wanted nil they could get. Mr. Fisher: Wβ want to realise that whon the test comes it will be the number we have sent and the quality of the fighting material. Air. Cook: Still, numbers count. Sir William H. Irvine: Can you say wnat the. response to the volunteering is like? Mr. Fisher: Fairly good, and equal to our capacity for training the men. Soon we will have more officers to train them, and we are putting ourselves to considerable expense to provide these officers. ■ Sir William H. Irvine agreed that the Government was doing all that it thought possible. The interests of Australia were more deeply involved than those, of any other Dominion, for our liberties, our very existence, depended on tho success of the Allies. Mr. Fislier ad head of the Government was looked to to impress upon the public the nupreme need for rendering every assistance to the Empire, and for a strona hand for stirring up the patriotism and the fervor of the people. (Hear, hear.)