DEFENCE REPORT

Hokitika Guardian, 20 August 1920, Page 1

DEFENCE REPORT

NEED FOR POLICY

(Our Parliamentary Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, August 19

The Commandant of the forces (Afa-jor-Gcneral Chaytor) in his annual report of the Defence Department urges that Government should decide the future defence policy as soon as possible:, in order that the Department mny proceed with any necessary reorganisation. “Without desirng to influence the policy which is the function' of the Government,” says the Commandant, “I would like to emphasise the .following lessons of war ns applied to this Dominion :

fa) An efficient army can quickly be organised provided every man lias had a limited amount of training and there is available the support of modern equipment and highly trained oUlcers and non-com. officers. (b) The large per rentage of man power found by medical examination to bo physically unlit for service points to the necessity of a. thorough course of physical training for all youths.” The Commandant says that the experience of the present training system has shown that an attempt to carry out training in sparsely populated districts has been expensive and unproductive of effieeincy and very burdensome to the trainee and to liis employer. The limitation of training to a territorial force having a maximum establishment of 30,000 has resulted in over 50 per cent of those who are liable under the Act receiving no training. This has caused great dissatisfaction, while physical unfit who would benefit most in a course of training, have been exempted,

“It is for Government to decide on future policy of defence forces, but I would urge that when considering the immediate need for economy, the vital necessity for efficiency should hot be overlooked. Men of the type of our New Zealand soldiers, even wlicn partly trained and poorly equipped, can be trusted to do well and to succeed if possible, but in actual war deficiencies in training and equipment must always bo paid for with men’s lives.