THE ARMY AND ITS PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 23, 22 October 1942, Page 4

THE ARMY AND ITS PROBLEMS

General Puttick Gives

Some Answers DESIRE TO INFORM THE PUBLIC

Problems affecting the Army in New Zealand were discussed by the General Officer Commanding, Lieutenant-General E. Puttick, D. 5.0., N.Z.S.C., ■in a two-hour interview with a representative of “The Dominion” yesterday. General Puttick made plain his wish to do whatever lies in his power to make the public well-informed, within the limits of security about the Army, its achievements and its difficulties. He answered many questions on Army matters which are of current public interest. These included the war effort in terms of Army manpower having regard to the resources of the country, training, camp conditions, effect of using soldier labour for civil and semi-civil purposes, leave and other points. Questioned as to whether New Zealand was not calling up more men than its population warranted, General Puttick replied that when faced with the possibility of invasion, specially by a yellow race, the only aim was the maximum. The alternative inight be to bow to every Japanese. What direction the effort should take was-a matter for the Government; whether on the service or the industrial side. It could well be imagined that having regard to the shipping situation, and distances, one of New Zealand’s most useful functions would be to divert a good proportion of manpower to producing what were in effect fighting goods rather than fighting men. That was one angle. On the other hand, when it came to manpower for the Army it could not be said that it had got the maximum the country could produce. The reason was the number of fish who got through the net because of the size of the mesh. This had its problems. The reason a man was exempted a year ago might not hold good today, and the opposite position held in cases of men not previously appealed for but subsequently released from the Army. Generally speaking, the country’s situation was such that it could never be said that the maximum production, in men or materials, was too much against the peril that might eventuate. Soldiers as Labourers. The use of soldiers for wharf labouring. bridge building and strengthening, preparation of fords, digging of new tactical roads, improvement of camps’, and so on, was admittedly destructive of progressive training, but much of the work was directly or indirectly for the Army, and the civil labour population could not fully cope with it. The unloading of Army equipment was an instance; also work undertaken for the Post and Telegraph Department. It was not always possible to see that all the men engaged on these works had already engaged in some form of soldier training. The rapid expansion of the Army had placed such demands on accommodation that, every ca.mp had to be used to capacity, and men were posted direct to units instead of first undertaking recruit training at.special camps. The Army had had to be ready for a sudden break in the strategical situation, which might endanger the country, and chance some men being engaged before they had had the necessary training. Engaging in the work referred to, while a serious hindrance to progressive training, had not been a waste of time. For instance, the men did their work under supervision of their officers and n.c.o.’s, thus becoming accustomed to discipline and organized operation. - . The formation of labour units, to make use of men not employed to the best advantage as fighting soldiers, was under consideration, replied General Puttick to a question whether such units would not solve the problem of calling on fighting units for labour jobs. Conditions in Camps. Because of circumstances over which the Army had no icontrol men had to be diverted from a permanent camp into which it was intended to place them, aud be placed in’areas specially selected, and to other sites suitable for non-permanent canips. These men had to do much work themselves in establishing camps with a consequent minimum of training. There was no lack of desire or effort on the part of the Army to see the men comfortable, but with the tremendous demands on the civil defence construction authorities, all work had to be done on a basis of priorities. The shortage of civilian labour, and of materials, as well as the distribution of the available labour, had to be considered. By next winter improvements should have been effected in the types of open-air camps referred to. Withdrawals from Army. Questioned about withdrawals from the Army, General Puttick replied that in a period of three months 19,000 men had returned to civil life to re-enter primary and secondary industry. Many were out permanently to the extent that they would not return except in a crisis. The withdrawal would not have been so bad if all the men had had sufficient training before they went.

Asked if a stabilizing point had not now been reached, General Puttick said that he could not for the present see an end to withdrawals.

It had been suggested, said General Puttick, that he should spend’■more time with the troops in the field. That was very desirable and necessary, but the Army had grown far beyond the capacity "of any one man or small group of men to supervise in any detail For example, it would require two months’ constant travelling for him to see each unit in New Zealand for two hours. An average syllabus covered five subjects in an eight-hour training day. How much training would he see In any particular unit, and what condition would any man be in at the end of that period, quite apart from the duties of the first importance affecting the whole of New Zealand, which could only be carried out from Army Headquarters and would not permit of lengthy absences from Headquarters? He had several experienced majorgenerals, as well as the brigadiers and battalion commanders, many of whom had served overseas in the present war, on whom he relied for the greater part to see that the training directions issued from Army Headquarters were carried out. Officers from Army Headquarters also made visits to formations aud units to see things for themselves.