NEW ZEALAND'S MAN-POWER.

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 250, 23 October 1942, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND'S MAN-POWER.

With the recent balloting of family men up to 37 years of age and the impending balloting of men up to 40, the New Zealand people are increasingly concerned with the handling of the man-power problem. Figures quoted recently by Mr Coates support the common belief that this Dominion has a higher proportion of men under arms at home and in scattered war theatres than any other Allied country ; and with the efficiency, as well as the magnitude, of our war effort, there is good ground for satisfaction. It is a pity that the Government cannot see its way to add something to the very scant information so far vouchsafed as to the strength of the armed forces of the Dominion, either at home or abroad, and give some indication of the commitments, which it has presumably undertaken, for maintaining and increasing the New Zealand strength in the various theatres. Heed must he given, of course, to the constraint imposed on the Government by the military authorities, especially in view of the more serious turn in the war situation in the Pacific, but there does not seem any good reason why the broad policy behind the demands being made on man-power and woman-power should be kept entirely secret. Subject to military prudence, the people are, as the Press generally claims, entitled to know what promises have been made on their

behalf. They are entitled also to be told what provision has been made for their own defence, in . the event of a worsening of the Allied position in the South Pacific. And they require to know, in order to plan production intelligently, what further exhausting drains on industrial man-power the Government has in mind. Some questions on Army matters were answered by the General Officer Commanding, Lieut. -General Puttick, in an interview at Wellington this week. Questioned as to whether New Zealand was not calling up more men than its population warranted, he said that when faced with the possibility of invasion, especially by a yellow race, the only aim was the maximum. What direction the effort should take was a matter for the Government ; whether on the service or the \ industrial side. It could well be imagined that having regard to the shipping situation, and distances, one of New Zealand's most useful functions would be to divert a good proportion of man-power to producing what were in effect fighting goods rather than fighting men. That was one angle. On the other hand, when it came to man-power for the Army, it could not be said that it had got the maximum the country could produce.

In other words, the people of New Zealand must continue to give freely and willingly of their resources in the world struggle. It was not within General Puttick 's province, however, to answer certain specific questions that have been projected in the present discussion of manpower problems. At its last meeting, according to the statement subsequently made by Mr Coates, the House agreed to the continued reinfcrcing of the 2nd N.Z.E.F., to the despatch, if need be, of a force to another theatre of war, and of course to the continued maintenance of a home defence force. In view of current happenings in the Solomons, does the Government intend to- persist in this threefold purpose? In this form the question is put by the Auckland Star, with the suggestion that the time appears to have come when the Dominion 's war effort must be thought of primarily in terms of the homeland, and not of the Middle East. The 2nd N.Z.E.F. has fought for the Empire and New Zealand as a part of it ; but the fight in the Pacific may yet develop into a fight for New Zealand itself. While that I possibility remains the Dominion s war effort must be concentrated on the direct defence of the Dominion, and if necessary at the cost of reducing our commitments in tffi Middle East. _ V