ARMY PROBLEMS

Evening Star, Issue 24332, 22 October 1942, Page 4

ARMY PROBLEMS

' MAXIMUM MOBILISATIC; IMPERATIVE 10,000 MEN RETURNED TO CIVIL OCCUPATIONS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 21. Problems affecting the Army in New Zealand were discussed by the General Officer Commanding New Zealand Military Forces, .Lieutenant-general F. 1 nttick, in an interview to-day. General Puttick made it plain that it was his wish to do whatever lay in lus power to make the public well informed within the limits of security about the Army, its achievements and difficulties. Asked whether New Zealand was not calling up more men than its population warranted, General Puttick replied that when faced with the possibility of invasion, especially by the yellow race, the only aim" was the maximum. The alternative might 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. The use of soldiers for whhrf labourers, bridge building and strengthening, the preparation of fords, digging new" tactical roads, the 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. 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, General Puttick said, had placed such demands on accommodation every camp had to be used' to capacity, and men were posted direct to units instead of first undertaking recruit training at special camps. Thp Army had had to ’be ready for a sudden break in the strategical situation which might, endanger the country, and there was a chance of some men being engaged before they had' had the necessary training. The formation of labour units to make use of men not employed to the best advantage as fighting soldiers was under consideration, said General Puttick in reply to a question whether such units would not solve the problem of calling on the fighting units for labour jobs. Because of circumstances over which the Army' had no control, men had to be diverted from the permanent camp into which it was intended to place them and placed in areas specially selected and to other sites suitable for non-permanent camps. These men had to do much of the work themselves In establishing the camps, with a consequent minimum of training. There was no lack of desire or effort on tlje part of the Array to see that the men were comfortable, but with the tremendous demands on the civil defence reconstruction authorities all the work had to bo done on a basis of priority, General Puttick said. ‘ The shortage of civilian labour and of materials, as well as the distribution of available labour, had to be considered. By next winter improvements should have been effected in types of openair camps referred to. The men could expect roads and paths in the camps to avoid mud aind wet, dry living conditions, small huts (the tents - would probably remain in the temporary camps), and a gradual improvement in recreational facilities.

Questioned about withdrawals from the Army, General Puttick replied that in a period of three months 10,000 men had returned to civil life to re-enter primary and secondary industry. Many were out permanently to the extent that they would not retijrn 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 stabilising point had not now been reached, General Puttick said that he could not for the present see an end to the withdrawals. He had heard criticism of squad training, but his own experience was. that it had a good physical and mental effect. When lie returned from the Great War as a lieutenant-colonel he did three months of it. Physically it made a wonderful difference, and mentally the effect was astonishing. It put a man properly on his mettle to be one of a squad facing a smart instructor and not knowing what the next order was going to be.