WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3566, 31 August 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

DEFENCE DISCUSSION IN THE HOUSE. WELLINGTON, August 30. Committee of supply is not 1 as a rule, the most attractive guise assumed by the House of Representatives. It is usuallly parochial rather than national, emphasising the small things of finance and ignoring the big ones, with the result, that the House in Committe of Supply frequently bears the appearance ot a igdorified uof*d board meeting. But on Friday there was a very acceptable* exception to this general rule. The new Minister of Defence Sir Heaton Rhodes, one of the most courteous and conscientious administrators the Dominion ever has had, having reminded the Committee he had been in office for only two of three weeks frankly admitted he was without a fully hatched policy and H|Ot yet iaitima'te'ly acquainted with all the intricacies of his Department. t ADDITIONAL COST.

This characteristic candour savel; Sir Heaton from any personal criticism, but it did not satisfy the members who wanted to know why JJie estimated expenditure in the third year of peace was some £50,000 larger than the actual expenditure in the previous year. The Minister’s explanation of apparent incongruity was that the cost of small arms ammunition had gone up enormously. £IOO, 000 being required to purchase ammunition which “used to be bought for £28,000.” Whether £28.000 was -the sum required before the war or at some later idate was not disclosed and members, whWe strongly urging economy did not press for further information. It was obvious all through the discussion that Sir Heaton’s personal popularity saved him from many embarrassing interrogations. TENTATIVE PROPOSALS.

But while the Minister admitted he had no definite policy to submit to Parliament at -the moment, he indicated fairly clearly what were his own views in regard to the Dominion’s (Contribution *to (the defence of the Empire. He would cut down the Territorial training from seven years to 'three years. Cadet training eouS-d continue up to eighteen years and after that there would he 'the service with the adult corps. There would be no barracks system and no 'training for periods of months. It had been suggested that the period in camp for cadets should be from a fortnight to six weeks, according to the efficiency of the men, and that the training of Territorials should be adjusted to suit the needs of the men and the convenience of employers. LABOUR AND MILITARISM.

The only real hostility displayed towards the Minister ’s suggestions came from the Labour benches, where Mr. Holland reiterated his familiar platitudes in regard to the “ deplorable 'one of the camps” and the “exposure of mere children to the demoralising influences of ailitarisnr” end hi? loyal, though not very enthusiastic, colleagues 'countenanced his utterances by their silence. It. was a ma ter of comment in the galleries that the far-fetched denunciations of the chairman dT the Labour Party appeared to be obtaining little sympathy from the members sitting "with him. Mr. Howard, the member for Christchurch Sen h, who continues to make progress in the estimation of the whole House, went the length of apologising for having referred to “gold lace” and “brass ha r 's.” He did not pnow the terms were offensive and he had not employed them in that sense.