The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, JUNE 2. 1908. SATIONAL DEFENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2206, 2 June 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, JUNE 2. 1908. SATIONAL DEFENCE.

The subject of national defence is one about which the average individual in New Zealand troubles himself but little. There has been no attack from an outside source nor serious threat of one since the pioneers from the Motherland first took charge of the country, witli the result that nil air of peaceful contentment has pervaded the community, and from the general attitude.of tho people one would imagine that such a thing as war could Hover under any circumstances he associated with these fortunate isles. Now and again at smoke concerts and public functions our young men howl lustily t-lio patriotic airs, having for their theme tho valiant deeds with which the glorious prestige of Old England has been secured, hut these have no direct connection with our own land, nor our own (people. New Zealanders: will never become a nation worthy to hold the magnificent territory which their forefathers secured for them merely by the singing of “Rule Britannia” and the payment of a small sum of money annually towards the up-keep of tho British navy. It is, of course, true that wo have a volunteer system, but who that has given the mater a moments thought will assert that New Zealand’s volunteers could save the country from a. foreign foe should an attack be made upon us at any time? From the point of anew of acting a really important part in the defence of tho country, our system of* volunteering has been little more than a farce, simply playing with the most vital aspect of our national existence. In making this statement we do not underrate the individual members of the volunteer force who have given both time and money gratis to the country under most discouraging conditions. The fault lies partly with the system and partly with the manner in which it has been administered. During the Seddon regime it existed largely -as a party machine. The force was simply permeated with favoritism, and officers were pitchforked into positions they were in no sense fitted to occupy, with tho result that tlio rank and file never received tho practical training that could only come from thoroughly qualified officials. Then the men themselves were, figuratively .'■peaking, starved as regards equipment and ammunition to such an extent Unit any enthusiasm a young man might have had when ho first joined tho force was very soon knocked out- of him. Armed with weapons that lie knew to have been obsolete twenty years before, restricted in tlio use of ammunition, taught in a desultory, stereotyped fashion that his own comnionsense told him was entirely wrong, what wonder if lie became disgusted with the whole business and droiiped out as quckly as possible. It was under these circumstances, therefore, that the force lost efficiency whilst its numbers remained so small as to form but a small proportion of tho population. The present numbers' are under 20,000, • and even, assuming everyone to be thoroughly capable as a fighting unit, and well-armed, their attempt to defend tho whole of the country against a foreign foe would be simply ludicrous. As a matter of fact it is probable that fully 20 per cent, would .be found, for various reasons, unfit for active service .after a week or ten days in the field. Since Sir Joseph Ward assumed the reins of Government, something of an effort has been made to give the volunteering movement a forward impetus, and some improvements have been made. Tlio formation of a Council of Defence has been justified, inasmuch as the first report of the newly-appointed Council drew attention to the urgent need of a re-organisation of the whole of tho volunteer force. Tile system of training officers that it has inaugurated is an excellent one, and will' undoubtedly bear fruit in time. From all sources there comes information showing that Hie force is .already beginning to show some effect ol the new influence, hut when all this is admitted, the fact must still bo recognised that so long as New Zealand depends upon a, volunteer force so long shall we be .without adequate means of defence except that which can ho given by tho British navy. The day may come when the worldfamous fleet may have its colors lowered, or, at any rate, that its ships may be kept too busy.defending the Homeland itself to spare any for our assistance, and on that day it will bo a sorry affair for New Zealanders if they have no better means of repelling an invader than they possess at the present time. To our minds there is only one answer to the question that so obviously presents itself. It is necessary in a country as sparsely populated as ours that every ablebodied person shall be compelled to undergo sufficient training to enable him to become, .in the event of a call to arms, an effective fighting unit. T!iis does not necessarily mean that we must spend many weeks in each year attired in, special uniforms and practising certain military movements. It does mean, however, that he must givo sufficient of his time to the country in order that ho may learn to handle a rifle and also to master the main principles of drill. No one doubts the patriotism of the New Zealander, or his valor and splendid energy, hut all 'of these qualities would avail him little if called upon in an emergency unless he had previously had some military training. In the event of war, time counts for everything, and the side which can mobilise smartly the whole of its potential forces has more than half won the battle. Were New Zealanders called upon to deal with » sudden

attack,, our handful ox \ohm loom would find their first mission was to touch the rudiments of warfare to tho rest of tho population, and long cro tho education was complete the ownership of tho country might has passed into other hands. To some this may appear a most unlikely contingency, but if wo are always to he immune from attack why should we spend any money at all on a volunteer force P Tho answer is obvious. We may at some tamo be called upon to justify our claim to occupy Now Zealand, and—particularly whilst our population remains so small—the task may prove a most difficult one. Vet it is one, that should he attempted, ami would ho by every able-bodied person in tho country. In this matter Parliament is a long way behind the people. Every session members meet together and spend months in an heroic effort to fill Hansard with the records of their potty squabbles over miserable party '.issues, but for tho real essentials which affect our mtiomd existence, such as immigration, defence, and so forth, they apparently liavo no lime. However, it seems evident 111 a l the hands of our legislators are likely to he forced in this matter before long. An organisation has just hem)' formed with the title of “The National Defence League of New Zealand,” which .appears likely to achieve excellent work. Its objects may be summarised as follows : • i

To ensure domestic peace and security from all possible invasion by obtaining tho national adoption of tho following safeguards:(a) Universal defensive training, either ashore or afloat, of all boys and young men until tho age of 21, with encouragement of continued training. V' (b) All men engaged in every branch of the local maritime and waterside .industries to be licensed; preference in all State employment mid licensed occupations to British citizens who fulfil special training conditions. (c) Itiflo ranges to he provided in every township, and miniature rifle ranges in every urban and suburban school district. (d) Sufficient rifles ,to be kept in tho country to arm every capable citizon, and sufficient ammunition in suitable centres to make all riflemen effective for defence. (e) Any other legitimate means for strengthening national defence.

The League is making a determined effort to gain tho active support of all classes of tho community, and for ,jhis purpose has fixed the membership fee at one shilling, and is appointing representatives to canvass in every town throughout tho Dominion. In Gisborne, a well-known volunteer enthusiast, Mr. C. Hellier Evans, has accepted the position a 6 enrolling officer, and his mission in seeking local members for the League can be heartily commended to tho public.