Strong Protest Made Against Defence Cut

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1015, 4 July 1930, Page 15

Strong Protest Made Against Defence Cut

STRAIGHT TALK IN HOUSE “EUROPE BRISTLING WITH BAYONETS” ! Press Association PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Today. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was resumed in the House this morning by Mr. F. Waite (Reform Ciu t h a). who vigoro us ly p rot es ted against retrenchments in the defence : force. lie said he could claim to be 1 speaking for the majority of the ofii’jeers, and non-commissioned officers! | and men when he declared that if j 1 there was to be a defence force at all j j it should be adequate. | He stated that Europe was bristling with bayonets, universal military and navy training was compulsory in Japan, while in Russia the Red Army was now organised on a basis of universal service. It must be known that in the event of Britain becoming engaged in any conflict under its international obligations New Zealand would have no other course than to offer her support. Mr. Waite said it had been known that the present attack on the soldier was bound to come because there were people who had no liking for a soldier °nce he was no longer required for ; their protection, lie added that many ■ critics were like the author of “All Quiet on the Western Front,“ who. i Mr. Waite believed, had never been i nearer the front than a base camp, j Mr. Waite contended that the cut in the defence force was one of the conditions on which the United Party held Labour’s support. He himself was in favour of saving expenditure on defence, but it should not strike at*the adequacy of the system. The! annual camps were a most important j feature of the work. He suggested that the position should be met in the following way: Eliminate the camps during the present. year because of financial stringency, eliminate night parades of cadets which did not give value for the money, retain the secondary school cadets, discontinue the advances to rifle clubs, and appoint an expert from Britain and two experts from New Zealand to investigate the situation and recommend where expenditure could be saved by a reorganisation of the system.