THE DEFENCE SYSTEM.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 500, 14 September 1912, Page 5

THE DEFENCE SYSTEM.

QUESTION OF EXPENSE. ALLEGATION OF EXTRAVAGANCE. [jtV TKLKIiHAI'H. rHKSS ASSOC) .Vi'Ml V J

Wellington, Friday.

In the discussion on the Estimates this afternoon when thu defence vote of £450,388 caitio up for consideration, Mr Hindmarsh asked Mia I; the financial adviser ho restored to the Defence Hoard instead of leaving all responsibility in <ii (> hands of the Commandant. Ho referred to «.bo statement that ho had hoard from a member of Parliament that Genera! Godloy had visited Whangarej, ; and instead of returning by boat at a corf; of £1 he hired a motor car, ami went. to a friend for a week's shooting. The Oill, amounting to £■3o, was sent in to the department, He hoped the Minister could throw some light on this matter. The Hon. J. Allen said the statement that the scheme tost £'<"()(),000 annually was quite erroneous. Unless something unforseen happened the scheme would not cost more than £400,000. When the scheme was initiated there was a heavy outlay for equipment. Dealing with Mr Jlindmarsh'a remarks, Mr Allen stated that General Godley had never had a motor car in North Auckland, nor bail he ever had a day's shooting. Mr Russell contrasted the salaries proposed for colonels with those received by some of the leading officials in the public service, and showed that in most eases the colonels were receiving as much as £2. r io yearly more than the heads of civilian departments, The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher said they were bound by commitments made by some of the members on the opposifo side of the- House when they occupied the treasury benches. The Hon. .1. Allen said every oliicer who came out here did so under an engagement made at Heme. General Godley could get charge of a brigade at Homo a £.101)0 a year, and there would not have half the worry that he had as Commandant. A New Znalander, Colonel Davios, was in charge of a brigade at Home at £IOOO annually paid by the Home Government. He refuted Mr Russell's statement; that the military officers were getting more than the civil heads. In two years' time they hoped to replace the Imperial officers with New Zealand trained officers. These estimates were his own, and he would :iiand by them. If they wanted efficiency they had to pay for it. and he hoped the House would see that they did.

Mr Myers paid a tribute to the whole huarted, anil enthmtinut i;\ way in which the General had tliruwn himself into his work. 11.■ h di.-ved thai. tho ultimate cost of this scheme would not exceed .lM(>0,000, and they ivouhl have an ellicionl; army :■:< :•. r-'Siiif. Mr Ilanan adniHtod tho jienpln wanted a defence uyst(>m, I mii. they did not want officers running n;i unjusfi(iablo items of personal oxpeir;.'. Mr Ilindmarsh said New Zealand did not want any of 1 *i• • uiiforral.Kideas associated with (lie military in England. It was tho duty of ovory one to protest against grafting anything of that nature on to ;,!>e system. The social influence of those men was enormous in tlii.-i country, and any one who attacked it naturally had to incur a certain amount of odium.

Mr Anderson considered the Defence Department was the most, important, department in the country. Mr Isitfc said the force should bo a citizens' defence league, and every lad should know, no matter what his social position might be, that there was no bar to hi?; advance to the highest position. The Minister of Defence compared the salaries paid to ollieers in Australia, and showed that in some instances they exceeded those paid in New Zealand by as much as ,Ci(H) a year. He also quoted the names of ollicors appointed from comparatively low positions to show there was no introduction of caste. The only compulsory uniforms were khaki fur territorials, or blue for officers. Cocked hat; were not in the system. Mr Wilford said he thought that where the danger to the scheme might be, if there was danger, was that (lie Minister was an officer and had been steeped fo\- many years in the military office, lie suggested that the civilian element of the general community would lie better assisted if the hon. general was not. Minister of Defence. Me advised the exchanging of the portfolios of the Minister of Railways and the Minister of Defence.