DEFENCE EXPENDITURE COMMISSION.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 February 1918, Page 6

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE COMMISSION.

m* COL. MCDONALD'S I'alinors.ton X., Feb. io. The Defence Expenditure Commission continued its sittings |j)-day. Colonel T. W. MeDoitiihl, of the Weliingloit |)j s . triet .lleadt]iiarters Stali', gave' evidence regarding the training of the expeditionary forces, and gave it as his opinion that the (training period could be reduced by about one month, lie considered that the present system of sending all the men of a draft from each district into expeditionary force camps on the same day was unsound in principle, unnecessary for efficiency, and extremely expensive, for the" following reasons: °, (a) It places territorials of at least seven consecutive years training on the same footing as regards training as the civilian who has never done any training, a position which is quite illogical. (b) There are two categories of territorials who enlist in the"" expeditionary force: (1) Those in the First Division, of 20 years (who have performed ten' consecutive years' training in the territorials and cadets), and (2) all members of the Second Division between 20 and 2, r ) (who have performed seven years' training in territorials and cadets)] (c) From this it is clear that no territorial enters expeditionary camps with less training than seven years. (<!) To give the 'same training for these territorials as civilians who' have never trained, forces us to admit ether that the territorial system, as an effective war system, lias been an absolute failure, and that, the ,€3,000,0n0 which it has approximately cost might have been equally well thrown into the sea; or that the present system of giving territorials and civilians the same period of training in camps is wrong and unnecessary, (<I) If we admit the failure of the territorial training system, the sooner the system is abolished the better; but if we admit its,success we must also admit that territorials do not require as long a period of training as untrained civilians, ami the sooner we set about reorganising (lie expeditionary force training system the better. (f) He could not see that the question admits of any argument, as common sense should show that a partially trained man requires less training that (i totally untrained one, unless the partially trained man has been trained on the wrong lines, and. if so, let us be frank and admit it, and abolish this costly system at once.

(g) I am strongly of opinion that the period of training of territorials who win t>e expeditionary force after their seven 1 ..ctttive years' training should, in Xew Zealand camps, be reduced to two months. On the assumption that ;the number of territorials who enter the ; expeditionary force camps is 8000 (4000 less than entered in 1010-17), we shall, by reducing the training by two mouths', ell'oet a saving of no less titan £IOB 000 per annum in future, and bv failing to do tliis for the last three years the wist to the country has bec'tt the lat-e sum of £.5tM.000. (h) If we add to the above a reduction of one month in the period of training in' New Zealand camps for the remaining ri'OO civilians who join the expeditionary force each year,' there is a further saving of £73,530. (i) From the above it would follow that territorials of each draft would not be required to enter the camps until one month after the civilian portion goes in, and on arrival of the territorials in camp they and the civilians would he op'aboiit. the same footing as regards trainimr. which would go on progressively for all. (.1) Tn addition to the huge saving in cost to the Defence Department, "one must consider the increased national efficiency which would result from the two months which 8000 territorials and ike one month which 7000 civilians would !i c able to devote to production,