Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22, 1939. OUR PROBLEM OF DEFENCE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 February 1939, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22, 1939. OUR PROBLEM OF DEFENCE.

QNE of the thing's needed in order that this country may I eel that it has made reasonable provision for an emergency of attack or invasion which conceivably may arise is the organisation of a Territorial Force, adequate in numbers and efficiently trained and prepared. That being so, the tacts emphasised by the Mayor of Masterton (Mr T. Jordan) in an address on Monday evening are entitled to the earnest'attention, not only of the young men and employers to whom Air Jordan primarily appealed, hut of all responsible citizens. It is certainly impossible, taking account of the present trend of world affairs, to be content with the position in regal'd to Territorial training which the Mayor described —for example, only seventeen men going into camp for training out of a quota of 42 asked for in this district, from Pahiatua to the sea. Blame for this poor response of course does not rest only on young men and their employers. As a people we had come almost to take security for granted and to neglect and disregard defence preparation. Rudely as this condition of complacency is now being disturbed, our awakening to the realities of our national situation is still far from complete. What is needed is not only a readiness on the part of young men to enter upon Territorial training, and on the part of employers to co-operate 1o that end, but a perception by all members of the community of the need for it much more active and enterprising defence policy than has yet been attempted. Above all there is needed a willingness on the part of each and every citizen to bear a fair share of the burdens entailed. On grounds of simple prudence and common sense, every aspect of defence preparation—from naval defence to measures against attack by air—demands serious attention in New Zealand at the present day.- It is more than time that the’faets of the existing situation should be set .unmistakably and emphatically before the people of the Dominion. An ordinary regard for our national security demands a comprehensive defence stock-taking and survey, so that all may know and understand to what extent we are. falling short of meeting the obligations that devolve upon the members of a free democracy determined to maintain their freedom. The possibility of effective action by the Government is determined, and will continue to be determined, largely by the degree of public awakening to the demands of a critical period in the history of our own country and others. The all-important condition of an effective policy of defence preparation that will make the Dominion as far as possible secure against attack is an appreciation by all its citizens of their responsibility in this matter. With that, condition satisfied, which implies a comprehensive and purposeful scrutiny of our total defence problem and a readiness throughout the community to cooperate loyally in making good what is deficient, a full response assuredly will not be lacking to the call for service in ’the Territorials —the force upon which we must rely as the heart and core of our defence should this country ever have to resist attack or invasion. ' It is to be emphasised that the facts which make necessary the development of an adequate and efficient Territorial Force also raise other demands. If these demands are honestly met, Ihe difficulties which now arise over Territorial recruiting and training may be expected to disappear. The huge expenditure now being made on defence preparation in Great Britain, and the intensive and many-sided development of defence services now being undertaken in that country, can hardly be taken in New Zealand as a practicable standard to be emulated. Obviously, however, if we wish to do what is reasonably open to us in safeguarding the integrity and security of our country, we must build considerably upon our present measures of defence preparation, as regards both action within the Dominion and co-operation, particularly in naval and air defence, with the Mother Country and Australia.