MILITARY POLICE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5296, 8 January 1947, Page 4

MILITARY POLICE

JMPORTANT decisions are expected to be taken by the British Cabinet in the near future coneerning its military commitments abroad, and in the view of the Times of' .London; the only manner in which these burdens in manpower, material and foreign exehange can be alleviated is by a fresh examination of policy coneerning some of the regions where the British serviceman is still on a war footing. In those places, he | is performing frequently unpleasant and sometimes dangerous tasks, with little recognition I at home and small • thanks ; abroad. The strain is not ! only evident in the country's ■ economy ; it has been manii festecl by sporadic . but signi- | ficant incidents, from- mutiny | clown, that reveal a thoroughly j c*browned-off" spirit arnong the I forces themselves. j Gone are the enthusiasm 1 and elation that snstained the fighting man in the face of | a dangerous enemy; gone are ; ihe days of close comradeship i in arms with our Allies; gone ; is the great illusion that the | coming of peace wpuld usher j in a brave new world. Instead. ! the routine of police duties, : with its dry discipline in " an . atmosphere that. at best is . distantly tolerant and at worst, is snarlingly hostile. : ' The soldier bears it all while the politicians grope through a labyrinthine maze that ofiers no way out. It is strange that his duty is less irksome in Germany and i Japan than in Italy, India, Palestine and Greece, and it is in respect of the four lastnamed countries that a fresh examination of policy is most urgent-ly indicated. We have been convinced for a long ; time past that there should ; be a complete change of front in regard to the Mandate in Palestine. ; New Zealand's special inter- ; est in the post-war set-up is '■ Japan, where it seems wre are I bound to remain for a long 1 time, but no. statement 011 the disposition of our J-Force has been made , by Cabinet. This ques-tion is bound up in the larger one of the country's defence policy and, presumably, the Government is still awaiting advice about the part the Dominion is to be assigned in the Pacific. However, it is pointed out that the country should be given some' interim information about its future role. In any case, Cabinet should be able to make a comprehensive statement about the aspects of defence policy at it will affect young men now approaching their majority. It should, for example, indicate defmitely whethCr it intends to introduce a system of eompulsory military c training — it is understood so to have been advised by the General Staff— and whpn it intends to do so, and if not, why not. The scheme would envisage close collaboration with the United States * and Australia in training m.ethods and equipment, but our part in the-plan would be relatively small'. In the meantime, the immediate and practical question is . the future of the occupation force in Japan and its reinforcement.