DEFENCE FORCE

Hokitika Guardian, 30 September 1930, Page 8

DEFENCE FORCE

INTENTIONS OF GOVERNMENT.

INFORMATION SOUGHT. V , WELLINGTON, Sept. 26. As,a result of questions which came from, all sides of the House as soot, sin, the of the ' Defence ' De-partiheht-1 were feached Vco-ctay, tin ■'Minister' foi- Defence, the .Hon. J. G.- - ‘ Coiibe siiiiiounccjp that during the, hal-.. ' ante of the present ntilitary; year tlit Department , would carry ;6ut t the training. of 600 ‘ officers and 2000 ncjn- , fomriiiissiqned 'officers in -..the * 'Lferritof-'-,«at. FdfdeV’in addition -to all• tecond.school cadets,f Although>lie ,wat= tor an 'answer, tlie. Minister gave/ no /indication of ' what Was to ji’a|)peij to menthers ; o(. the permbnerit' staff,* in,,view.„ of;.the economy , 1 ‘cuts--'or. aid he announce his ifiteiritions /coneerniiig voluntary, training,;' - He admitted,-.however, in. reply to.Mr F. ■ Waite . said thenar* re--, serve* ot. smith/arma animunitibh v totalled rouhdsj which ‘ he Gioi'tsidiered -'Wits sjiffipijenE ! As f the., /vote- hns’/nbt. yet" been passed - , "it is-’, -eitaih tnat rrijiich more 1 will l>e‘ heard‘of/ defence - matters, in' - general.’' before end. of 'wqck .f

; ’ s’UDpLW OK: ' ; k ■ - *'* ’ ’■- ■* 1 •' . j Supplies bf . apiinuiiitiotr were firs. ! referred•iej. by. 'Mr Waite,; Who ask'ec. whbiiief -the- iyaf;'feserVc small;, 'tirnls cartridges Was''hot, ;to< -heavy.. Me- 'sa-i'd ;cxpene’nce' Kad/MiqWif tjie r'eservi. 1 ' /built.' tip /since - ' 191 V hacl bi'bhf’ exhausted ;■ on .-several/ pcca*-' Sioiis.’. iTUei nhfv contract provided-foe 4 dii; annual -supply, op founds - •a'nct, ip. a n'druihi .training year/ a.,.total; ofi 2‘000;000 /wits ujaed ; : ASytrainmif fiad /(been 'sb.spc i dpr ’ ,’the • preserif ~yearr . this; - amount Would..-hot ",be’ rb, Mu-netj, -ahtCus a. result-a' large l rese/W:. would iw.btljjt-aip. J-fe; did* not/kirqv ‘ wlmthev*-the HinoiVnt -‘.bf - the/.wai; . Reserve an,official geet'et*,of whether . the.' Empifb f tvpuld••Fa.ili- ,- U),-piece; • y if, the amount -'Were-- fdyealbd/. 'but. if. spoke fwitli ...some* if.' •* asserting thfft 'tlje % ffesbffvf*U’w.ttfc! 4 . : -tojy btrge, /»•' ;,He - suggested if .yi/diuty ’tlie /pqlicy; of Tliq/.Gpvern'pient‘tp al ■ IoW the a’himnbi't’fon ‘ pended.A. sum-' of, £34,000 ;'Had; beef /placed ; pn the, Ipstimates 'this ydarf fo) \ini i/iuui,tiQh >uppliiP' Me ;,aSked.'hvhe •f hef HTiV Government would allow'/tb reserve.'.to .'dWindß away, •so makm; ft/ necessary fortify force,, that - wen overseas to- rejy/ on? Great 'Britain /fo ’aifimumMon - Siffiplies. If .this ‘fwer -file intention/it >vas ; rtijsfakeh "policy. / -During thd- la^tpvai' not reached .V/th< -.proportions 'of‘ a llijviftlou Avheii', id, lef -New •Zealand./, J “It./,did nob ■JCnglpnd' but .Ayhs' diverted to- -. tin Turkish'theatre, of war, and al • the /amm unitvori * i t., hlid . v.’s what i ,to6k'‘ away .jWitH it. A.divivion woulr lipty last’ mere than a few oi -16,006,000 - : rbund^, • . *;*» \ RETlitEilllN.T OF OFFICERS.

: Mr /J. "A; , ,Npsh (R. r Palmerston) id a greatf,deal had been heai’c ribbiit otfficej|-s v -'l>cirig retired, and lu thought Die Minister should take tlit

Hogse' 'into pie /confidence and give i f M)nie information on the point. State- ' rnenljs had’ appeared in the Pres that tiio -British Government had of : tered;;ppsiti<>*is ,to officers from Neiv Zealand in 'ittdia, and alth jgh th« question ’''{ngjybeert taken up outside Ifarli.atqent;; iijembers had been givei •no at all. He also askfed l'iow .many would" be retir 'ed' dri , r }?uperanpuation. (Mr Hutt) asked the Tlnistep ; wha£Vsteps were being’ takei “to*-find work'd-or officers and niember oif)ftKe permanent staff following upoi the deoteidh' -to,' suspend compulsoi> military, tiaijiijig. ' ANOMALOUS POINTS.

The- Loader of tlie Opposition, tin Rt.' Hon... J. G-. Coates, asked what trainirtg would be earned out in tin and -’also under what adthoHiy theiHMinister would work. Many |>eopie, u'ere concerned (because of the entirely undefined, ;hotiqns-W connexion with defence gjjmira.lly; and ,he thought the Minister wqiild allay public concern if he iiidicated..‘ s k°- r ily what he intended to do for the rest of the present training jea,\ Several anomalous points had arisen’ since the Government’s nj-pposals concerning the fcuispension of- iran'ing had failed to- reach the Statute Book. It wa-3 not yet known whether the Government intended tc carry oh- by Act or whether it wo He use regulations to g'-ve it power to carry out its wishes. Camps had beer suspended by the Government, and other suspensions had been proposed bin it had not been made at all clem exactly wha-t these suspensions were VOLUNTARY TRAINING.

Mr W J. Jordan (Lab., Manuka 11) said that by an order issued on August 18th it had been laid down that officers and n.c-.o’s in units above strength could go to camp with those in units below strength, but a later order had cancelled tiiis. He said 50 men and officers of the 21st Battery were prepared to continue their training, but the officer in charge had told him that they had no power to do so in view of recent orders. “Is this an attempt on the part of the junkers of this country to interfere with tv veluntary system at the

'.very*/start?’’/ Mr/ Jerclan.. asked. -, “!i i Ibpks.Ak -If '.tfie/penduiunis ‘-has ':s)fung Hhe dtlief vVay;” / , .«,;!/>,-• . V ! Mr-A. Al/;Samuel VR/, - 'Thanjes').'./“lthas iioj; ; sWuri'g; i :'.lt;-has 'been-.pushed. '/ ,M'f • Jordan/it/is,; a-'pity; the- h°n.. /member/was' hdf.: Hp l ’added - tligt the? Government - possessed 'the - , nteii ' and the ‘ Tlip -men--wanted, to train, ; but ■/.apparently .some” regulation.' ,;yh's "Stopping .j>hem.;. ;He asked , that the;: Minister, should - make' clear- qxact/ly .what' was - beipg done, and .why. the /rflen who ;Wer.e" willi,hg to party".‘•'•but..voluntary*.:.training were ' being- pre--.vented' 'from? doing-Ago. • ’ . MINIS’IERi’S 'B-EPIiY, ; ’’, •. , . .Mr • Waite, wab'vquiye right, in his estimate ; /f the] Nvar reserve itif small arms ainjmunition. -.Howevep, he was not ipM .position to givb] any inforhiatioh inreply to Mr J; 'A,,.- Nash* who -had enquired ! edn eeiyii ng tlie nuinier: ;ofv 6ffi-; rjers .who wouldpbe likely to go overseas to positions;.-.offered;; to .-them: by the British Gvernmont.. c. \ -:v Mr Nash: Cannot you; say approximately how niahy? , . ; i- ! The Minister': No I fain not ~in a donition to tell. /a/o ' -

Mr Nash: As Mmistef one would think you would be fable-' to. Mr Ccbbe said that,. Us he had already indicated, there /would be a rearrangement of Departmental positions in order to place as many as •lossible of those who would no, longer He required "in -the Defence Department-. He then''announced thatr-in /addition to all secondary school cadets a total of 600 : ofllccm -and 2000, noncqmtniiSSioned 'Officers would, be trained in the territorial force during the remainder /of/the’ present yearu, ,v