DEFENCE POLICY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 April 1939, Page 5

DEFENCE POLICY

CONSIDERED BY LABOUR CONFERENCE OPPOSITION TO COMPULSORY SERVICE. SOME QUESTIONS REFERRED TO GOVERNMENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Its opposition to universal or compulsory military service was reaffirmed by the annual conference of the New Zealand Labour Party in Wellington yesterday, when it adopted a recommendation from the committee on defence and immigration to that effect. The question of co-operation with the industrial Labour movement in building up a democratic defence force was referred to the Government for its favourable consideration. Other decisions made were that the desirability of more active co-opera-tion with democratic countries be referred to the Government for its favourable consideration, and that the question of establishment of State air factories be referred to the Government for consideration. A remit referred to the committee,' asked that the conference consider and report regarding the following matters: — Education of officers and men in the principles of democracy and socialism. Investigation of the New Zealand Defence League’s activities. Opposition to the British Government’s pro-Fascist policy. The provision of relief for the people of Spain and China, and other victims of Fascist aggression. Meetings of workers’ representatives at. 1.L.0. conferences.. The committee’s recommendation that no action be taken on these points was endorsed by the conference. MINORITY REPORT TRAINING OF ALL FIT MEN. UNDER VOLUNTARY SYSTEM. Three members of the defence committee, Messrs W. E. Barnard, W. J. Lyon, and J-. A. Lee, M.’sP., submitted a minority report on the subject of land defence, in which they expressed the view that recruiting today was not satisfactory, and stressing the need for every fit man to offer himself for voluntary training for the defence of New Zealand. The minority report, which was endorsed by the conference and added to the defence committee’s report, was as follows: — The Labour Government is to be congratulated upon all that has been done to improve the efficiency of air and naval defence, and to improve our defence equipment generally. However, under land defence, Messrs Barnard, Lyon and Lee, submit the following:— Having regard to the changed, circumstancep of the world in which we live, we feel that the first essential to adequate defence is an affirmation by the conference of the New Zealand Labour Party and by the Prime Minister that it is the duty of every fit man to offer himself for voluntary training for the defence of New Zealand. The present small land force is justifiable only on the grounds that our present system is producing a sufficiency of instructors and and non-commissioned officers necessary to train every fit man in New Zealand should the need arise for the defence of New Zealand. Recruiting today is not satisfactory. It is confined too largely to men of a too youthful age. Defence is a task for men as well as boys. While these boys are valuable in themselves and will be useful material at a later date, there is a grave shortage of'men of the 25 to 35 or 45 age groups, and a recruiting campaign is necessary to secure the addition of these men. It is obvious that if war breaks out tomorrow, too many of our rankers will not be of the age level required for service, let alone of the age,, physique and experience level required as officers, n.c.o.’s and instructors necessary to establish a New Zealand army should the need arise. A sufficiently large number of recruits is not offering Some means must be adopted to ensure the retention of recruits till the required standard of efficiency has been attained. We do not subscribe to the viewpoint that New Zealand cannot defend itself. The New Zealand Division in France proved itself one of the best in the field and any raider or enemy staging a raid or a minor attack would meet with extraordinary resistance provided New Zealand were possessed of equipment and munitions and of the highlytrained force we vision if the present strength were of the mature age group and capably trained so as to act as n c.o.’s, officers and instructors. That the New Zealand army, to be democratic, should be recruited from the widest possible field with increased and accelerated opportunities for every ranker to rise to the highest commissioned rank.