NATIONAL DEFENCE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3456, 9 April 1920, Page 6

NATIONAL DEFENCE.

POLICY OF THE" NEW LEAGUE. STATED BY GENERAL “RUSSELL. , -STANDS FOR A‘WHITE- NEVV ZEALAND. . SELECTED WOMEN IN THE ‘ TRAINING GAMES. . WELLINGTON, this.day. The following policy statement was issued. today by I\lajol'-General Sir A. H. Russell, President of the re-cently-formed National Defence League of New Zealand;— . FALSE PROPHETS ABROAD. “In explaining the policy of the re-eently-forme_d National Defence League of New Zealand, of which I have the hpnour to be present, I desire to emphasise several important factors for the consideration of the people of this eountry. T:he fact of the matrer is that the world today is tired of (war and its abominations, tired ‘of everything it brought in its train, and all that it meant, and not unnaturally a feeling of lassitude has crept over people, and made_them in.clined to put the Whole subject out of their minds, and relax into an attitude, not exactly of indiflerence, but'of dislike for the Whole thing. People, in consequence, have been asking Whether there is anymeed again to take up national defence. It was in order to emphasise that need that the National Defence League-‘was formed at a largely-attended meeting held in Web!

linl-gton {some ‘days ago‘. Plenty of people have been taking as a motto the dictum—of the President of the United States, I think——- that the late war was a. ‘War to end War.’ Thol'ehas been no greater igallacy. Not. only do ‘such people" say, ‘turn your. swords villt(_)eplol‘lghSha_.l‘eS'; they urge us to turn ourlbacks on the whole question pf national defence; ,'J.‘here_ are plenty ‘of these false prophets abroad to-day. They speak; gsmooth lthings, but ‘we must not. listen to them. There can be no question of war to end yvar, any more (than air, efficient polide £o‘-ree can do away tvith. crime. The abolii” tion of war demands the removal of‘causes which lie deeply embedded iii“ human nature. When the individual’! and the nation have been educated to“ a full realisation of their duties and‘“ responsibilities, there will be nov|l'leed"l for police, or defence leagues,‘ or com-' pulsory military service; but that day’ is not yet. There is, therefore, need '” for a League of this kind to wake poo‘-'l ple up to the importance -of being prepared to defend their ideals and their property, as well as to be able to do their duty, not only to this country, but to the Empire -and to the race to which we belong.

“IN NO SENSE POLITICAL.” “The National Defence League is in no sense party political. It has nothing to do with party politics whatever. We are a League formed, so far- as defence is concerned, to help the Government, whatever Government happens to be in power, to do its duty, because Governments, like the rest of us, can only, go as far as circumstances and public opinion will allow them. It is the mission of the League to educate the electorate on the need for an efficient defence organisation, and when it has done that citizens may be sure that the Government will* do its duty- What is the position now ? I understand that no less than ten members of the House of Representatives are pledged to go back to the voluntary system. Many of the members of the league have worked under that system, and know that it was absolutely impossible. They know that it was no insurance at all; the money that was spent upon it, I cannot say was entirely wasted, but it was very nearly so. The people of New Zealand can no more expect to have an efficient’ defence force under the voluntary system than to have goodr. roads if they are to be left to pay* their rates or hot as they like. linden the voluntary system those in charg-d----cannot know what they have goto The responsibility for whatever syso tern of defence we possess rests with*' the electors; it rests with and what the league proposes to do* is to. educate the country by means ’ of propaganda —to stir up its friends and to convert its opponents.'' To those of the latter who are socialistically minded, I would submit that universal obligation in the matter of defence is the one concrete example of Socialism which has stood the test of experience and practice. I believe that if the position is put forward and in a reasoned fashion, without rhetoric or froth, the people will adopt the right course. What a Government wants is the reasoned support of the electors, not their unreasoned support, which is as bad for Governments as for individuals. PRICE OF INEFFICIENCY. “There is one factor which the people of this country require to specially bear in mind in relation to defence, and that is that any money allocated for defence purposes to-day is worth far less than it would have been in 1913, and if the Defence Forces are starved it will mean that they will

be ill-trained and ill-equipped. That means inefliciency, and inefiiciency in war means the- unnecessary loss of life. How much this is so the people of New Zealand may realise from a recently summary of «the views of American Generals. In ‘The World's Work’ for November, 1919, it is stated: ‘Twenty-six out of thirty general officers, holding commond in the American g Expeditionary Force, who were asked what proportion of our battle losses "was due to lack of training, replied: ‘At least half.’ The other four were more conservative—one Major-General put it at about a third.’ This only confifms the statement. made by the American Secretary of State for War previously. when he said that ‘to thrust untrained citizens into the field is nothing short of death by Governmentorder.’ When I speak of not starving the Defence<-Forces, t-he Deople of this Dominion must not become imbued with the idea that the league advocates extravagance. What the league wants is sound defence, run as economically as possible, on the least‘ money that can be put down; ‘but it‘; does not- want to ‘spoil the ship for a‘ hal’p’orth of tar.’ The actual plan of I defence, however, does not ‘come within the province of the league. That necessarily is a matter for the experts. First, the Government should ‘have a policy. and the defence should ‘be framed to suit that policy. It! would be idle for the league composed I of civilians, to say what are the pro—' per proposals in detail; but there are’ certain broad prihciples which it win! upho-ld. If any radical changes are »pl'opoSed——all(l certain members are} pledged to revert to the voluntary: system—it is -the duty of the league‘ to scrutinise such proposals carefully! and act according to its conclusions. 1

‘ .P._OLICY OF THE LEAGUE ' DEFINED. ’ “I now wish to diflect iittention to “the ‘specific aims and objects‘ of the league, as set—9+Lt——in its constitution. These are, broadly defined as follows: I “To nlaill‘e&i-8.-——a W'fll'fe New ZeaC. kind; to secur"e= the-’-.m‘lmunity of the [il;'flGDllntl'y tfiromi i:v;v"asion‘;' "to educafe .-;9'l.péople of the country upon’ such L ooneasiures‘ of El'efence.'asllnl’ay be con- ' svidefed necessary. 'ln"the attain-

ment of these objects the league specifically lays it down as its policy that it is no"€ desired to convert the nlanhoo<l"6'f this country into soldiers, but purely to ensure that every man who is capable of . bearing arms is: given sufiicient milifai-y ti-aining.to enable him .to obey the highest duty of citizenship by being able adequately to assist to protedt his country should the occasion arise. In other Words, the platform of_ the ’ie”a“gue sets forth that the New Zealander is a citizen, and only becomes a -soldier when he V is required for the defence of his country.” i I

1 WHERE EAST METS WEST. i “As to the policy of the league ‘to ’maintain a. White New Zealand,’ I would point out that the storm centre lot the world a few years ago was in the North Sea“: To-day it has shifted. ‘lt is moving'Eastward. So far as .'New Zealand is concerned it is nearer ihome. Wein New Zealand, and our 1 . . . . Icousins in Australia, are actually the ioutposts of Western‘ civilisation——of ithe white race. Outposts .a.rc very ‘honourable positions, but those who [are on outpost work must look out for; surprises and hard knocks, and act! saccordingly. We are at the point‘ where East meets West, both of them‘ probably in their highest stage of development. It is ‘Ewe that the East meets the’; West ilrthe Eastern l\lediterranean littoral; but there, there is a. certain fusion. ‘A White New Zealand’ means no fusion. That to the working man of New Zealand is of greater importance than to almost anyone else; for fusion means a low-i ering of the standards of life which! have been built up in this country. It means the clashing of the ideals of the East with the ideals of the West. Of the two, ours may go under, unless we keep our shores inviolate. “Regarding the rest. of the paragraph 1 have‘ just quoted, I h€lVO 'SO state that if we convert the manhood of this country into good ‘citizens We shall have a fighting force that will reyresejlt a great deal more in the eyes of a commander than would appear on paper. Good citizenship lies at the hack of the best Soldiers. (To be Continued.)