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Hokitika Guardian, 4 February 1921, Page 2

Tt is high time that New Zealand had a defence policy in line with nioder 1 conditions. One of the greatest of these conditions is the proved importance of aviation in war time and we think !(; can be shown that New Zealand offers one of the most favourable fields for developing; a system of aerial defence It has been many times urged upon the (love-rnmenl that it should investigate the possibilities in the light of recent experience, which in the uses and advancement of aviation has been very great. This island Dominion, situated as it is many thousands of miles away from the base of a possible invader, cannot well be attacked Iron) the air, whereas the defending of ourselves, in the event of attack, by means' of a fleet of lighting airplanes seems to he within the sphere of practical policy, and at a comparatively moderate cost. The money that the new “flagship” the Chatham, is going to cost the taxpayers each year would, wo believe, go a long way towards establishing and maintaining, in a state of efficiency, an Aerial

Defence Force. We believe that an air fleet would he of much greater service to the country in time of trouble than a solitary cruiser of doubtful modernity is likely to prove, and in any case nobody seems to know what the defence J policy is, for the Parliament of the ! Dominion has had no part in shaping i it—has not, indeed, been permitted to I give it discussion. An expert was sent I to Now Zealand some time ago to ! advise the Government in regard to | aerial defence, and he made a report, j Where is that report? What did Col on’el Bettington advise and recommend ? These are questions that should have been asked and answered in Parliament. , Failing that, the Minister of Defence 1 ought now to be able to say what are

; his views on the subject of aerial defences, and whether he agrees or disagrees with those who urge that the use of aircraft for the conveyance of mails ought to he regarded primarily as a more or less profitable means of maintaining an up-to-date, efficiently manned Aerial Defence Force.