DEFENCE POLICY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19990, 15 July 1939, Page 5

DEFENCE POLICY

CRITICS HEARD MINISTER TO REPLY OPPOSITION INTENTION ‘COMPULSORY TRAIN IN G BACK-BENCH SPEECHES (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Practically half the total number of members of the House of Representatives had contributed to the Address-in-Replv debate when the proceedings closed for the second week yesterday. There have been 25 Government speakers, 13 National and cue Independent. There is no sign of slackening in the supply. This week's opportunities have been mainly for backbenchers, but several Ministers aie likely to come into the discussion next week notably the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, who has been a consistent listener to the views of the Opposition on' defence, a subject which all have mentioned.

When Mr. W. J. Poison (Nat., Stratford) criticised Mr. Jones for not making a statement earlier, the Minister replied that he would speak on Tuesday, butHhat he had been waiting to hear his critics.

“When the Opposition becomes the Government we will put universal military training on the Statute 'Book. I have no hesitation in making that statement," said Mr. D. C. Kidd (Nat., Waitaki), referring to the question of defence. 'He recalled the remarks of Dr. D. G. iMdMillan to the effect that when he (Dr. McMillan) had joined up under the compulsory scheme of a former Government, his job on one occasion in camp had been to run round from a thistle with a kerosene tin pretending he was a machine-gun. He had got tired and paraded sick. Dr. McMillan: Sick of tomfoolery. “Swinging the Lead” Mr. Kidd said that Dr. McMillan had been swinging the lead. The men -who were enlisted under the universal service scheme had been trained by men brought from England and India --the men who had been responsible for training New Zealand soldiers for the expeditionary force which had given such a fine account of itself during the Great War. He did not think 16.000 men were sufficient for the defence of New Zealand.

Mr. W. J. .Lyon (Lab., Waitemata) How many do you want?

Mr. Kidd: We want at least 30,000 or 40,000. It -would take about 20,000 to defend Wellington alone.

Mr. Lyon: That means you would ■need 250,000 for New Zealand.

Illustrating his contention that the Government was doing a good deal more for defence than it was telling the public, Mr. T. H. McCombs (Lab., Lyttelton.) referred to what was being done for defence at the port of Lyttelton.

A considerable sum had been spent there and guns were in position, though there had been, no description of them in the newspapers.

“But you can see the guns for yourself from the main road,” added Mr. McCombs. "The Government has not told anybody in 'New Zealand about them, but I have seen people from outside the country walking along the road, from 'which they can be seen carrying expensive cameras. Here is » opportunity for publicity. Why not let the people know what is being done. Half the attacks made on the Government for want of proper defence measures are caused through people not knowing what the Government is actually doing.”