DEFENCE MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1920, Page 6

DEFENCE MATTERS.

DISCUSSION IN THE HOUSE. ' (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Aug. 30. Committee of Supply is not as a rule the most attractive guise assumed by the House of Representatives. It is usually parochial rather than national, emphasising the small things of finance and ignoring the big ones, with the result that the House in Committee of Supply frequently bears the appearance of a glorified road 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 or three weeks, frankly admitted he was without a fully hatched policy and not yet intimately acquainted with all the intricacies of hifs Department. ' ADDITIONAL COST. This characteristic candour saved Sir Heaton from any personal criticism, but •it did not satisfy the members, who wanted to know why the estimated expenditure in the third year of peace was some £50,000 larger thain the actual expenditure in the previous year. The Minister's explanation of this apparent incongruity wan that the cost of small arms ammunition had gone up enormously, £IOO,OOO 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 date was not disclosed and members, while 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 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 could continue up to 'eighteen years and after that there would be 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 three 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 conveni' ence 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 tone of,the camps" and the "exposure of mere children to the demoralising influences of militarism" and his loyal, though not very enthusiastic, colleagues countenanced his utterances by their silence. Tt was a matter of comment in the galleries that the far-fetched denunciations of the chairman of the Labour Party appeared to be obtaining little sympathy from the members sitting with him. Mr Howard, the member for Christeburch South, who -continues to make progress in the estimation of t})e whole ■House, went the length of apologising for having referred to "gold lace" and -brass hats." He did not know the term? were offensive and lie had not employed them in that sense.