The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16, 1939 LAND DEFENCES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20017, 16 August 1939, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16, 1939 LAND DEFENCES

The Minister of Defence is able to report with “much gratification” that the objective of sixteen thousand men for the territorial system has been reached, nearly 5000 additional men between the ages of 18 and 32 having responded to the Prime Minister’s appeal. There is reason for gratification at this position, especially on the part of the Goveranment itself, because it does, at least, vindicate the contention that 10,000 volunteers could be secured; bjit it is still permissible to doubt whether the figure aimed at, and now secured, is really sufficient for the defence of the Dominion, or whether the available recruits arc being adequately trained. Criticism of the defence policy should not be regarded, as the Minister rather suggests, as gloomy prophecies of interested parties, for, after all, the only real interest in this question is to ensure that whatever preparations are made are sufficient for any need that might possibly arise. It is pertinent to recall that unrestricted criticism of British military tactics and leadership during the war had a far-reaching and generally beneficial effect on the progress of the campaigns in the various spheres; and that in recent months, in particular, freedom of criticism has been largely responsible for the moulding of a British defence system .which is without parallel in the history of the country. In New Zealand also, it should be accepted without question that the sole desire of everyone is to ensure the provision of a reasonable defence force. A year ago the Government contended that the then nominal establishment of 9000 terriloiials was sufficient for a peace-time basis. Its critics, however, contended that such a number was totally inadequate and expert estimates of the minimum requirements were generally placed at between 25,000 and 30,000. More recently, the Government has revised its estimate upwards and set the figure at 10,000. In this it is apparently supported by Major-General Maekesy, whose report to the Government, however, lias not been made available to the

public. It is impossible in matters of this sort to deal with bare numbers without some reservations, and these

are particularly necessary under con-

ditions such as those prevailing in New Zealand to-day. An army of 16,000 fully-trained professional soldiers would be a substantial force,

blit the availability of 16,000 volunteers may mean next to nothing. The position in New Zealand is somewhere between these two extremes, but just where it is difficult to say. Having disclosed that the objective of 10,000 men has been reached, the Minister himself admits that there are still some gaps in the forces and appeals for further recruits. This fact alone might be construed as an admission of the weakness of the present system and of the need for further considering the whole problem. A quarter of a century ago. just before the outbreak of the last war, Sir lan Hamilton, after an inspection of the New Zealand territorial forces, commented that “a mass of inade-quately-trained men may impress an electorate very favourably.” That remark might have been intended as a criticism of the system then in force under which more than 25,000 men were undergoing compulsory military training, but it also raises the question of whether, perhaps, too much attention is not now being paid to mere numbers. At least it can be said that if criticism was warranted in ISH4. when recruits were receiving regular training and were subject to fairly rigid discipline, it is even more justified now when there arc not the numbers, the discipline, or the regularity of training. It seems certain that there are weaknesses in each of these three respects. When the Minister speaks of 16,000 territorials it is apt to be assumed that there are 10,000 men, at least partly trained, available for the defence of the country, but the fact is that 75 per cent of the total are under 20 years of age and in the last war would have been considered too young to fight. A similar position applies in regard to the National Reserve, of whom 80 per cent are over 40 years of age and the majority between 45 and 50. Despite whatever figures might be published, therefore, the unpalatable truth remains that the scores of thousands of men of fighting age in the Dominion are conspicuous by their absence from the defence forces.

There is no reason to question the Minister’s assertion that the men who have volunteered measure up to a high standard, physically and mentally, and that they are showing enthusiasm for their work. This is only to be expected for it is the better type of man and the enthusiast who invariably shoulder the responsibilities of citizenship. Again, however, it is permissible to doubt the efficiency of the system, for, as the member for the Bay of Plenty pointed out in the House recently there is no hold on a recruit, nothing to ensure that he continues the service for which he has volunteered, and nothing but his own enthusiasm to Require him to attend parades regularly. Viewed in the light of these facts the system does not appear to be reasonably adequate, and even now it might be wise to reconsider the situation in the light of the points to which reference has been made. This year the Government is proposing to spend nearly £5,500,000 on defence and the annual cost after next year, on the present basis, will be about £3,000,000. For this expenditure, only about 6000 or 7000 men of fighting age are receiving training in the territorials, whereas after the last war an army expenditure of about £500,000 covered the cost of training 25,000 men under the compulsory system. It might well be suggested that figures, either of finance or personnel, may impress an electorate without giving a true indication of the real value of the fighting services.