LAND FORCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 April 1939, Page 7

LAND FORCES

DECLARED TOTALLY INADEQUATE DEFENCE LEAGUE MEETING IN WELLINGTON. ADDRESS BY HON'W. PERRY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The view that the present establishment of the Territorial Force was totally inadequate for the protection of the Dominion was expressed by the Hon W. Perry, M.L.C., in an address last night to a meeting in the Town Hall, under the auspices of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Defence League. Credit was due to the Government for the expansion of the air force over 4 he last three years and also for the fact that it was at its instigation that the present defence conference was be-i ! ng held in Wellington, said Mr Perry. In his opinion, however, where the Government had fallen down was in the provision of adequate land forces. The strength of the Territorial Force, he contended, should be at least doubled in the very near future. If it was not. then New Zealand was going to be in a very parlous state in the event of an attack by a foreign Power.

More than 1700 people attended. The mayor, Mr T? C. A. Hislop, presided at the opening. Later he left for a meeting of the City Council, and the deputy-mayor, Mr M. E. Luckie, took ‘ho chair. Apologies for absence were received from the Prime Minister and members of Cabinet. Both Mr Savage and Mr Semple in their messages expressed the hope that it would be a successful meeting. In the course of his address, Mr Perry said the people of New Zealand hurl never done their fair share in Empire defence except between the vears 1914-18. For defence generally 'li- 1 British taxpayer paid the equivalent in New Zealand currency of £9 10s for the year ended March 31 1938: the New Zealand taxpayer paid £1 ss. Credit was due. to the Government for the expansion of the air force over the last three years, and also for the fact that it was at the instigation of the New Zealand Government that ‘he present defence conference was being held in Wellington. Where the Government had fallen down and where the people had fallen down was in the provision of adequate land forces. “We have an establishment of 9000 for our local forces,” said Mr Perry. “That establishment was created in 1936. when we still relied upon the Covenant of the League of Nations and the principles of collective security. That establishment is in the opinion of this league—and its opinion is backed by Major-General Sir Andrew Russell and senior officers of the New Zea land Expeditionary Force, a wholly miserable and inadequate establishment.”

Mr Perry said the people of New Zealand should take their hats off tc those officers and men of the Territorial Force who for years past, despite discouragement, public apathy and the difficulty of managing with skeleton nlatoons, carried on and did the job tc the best of their ability. But, in order to give them a chance, that establish ment mud at the very least be doubled and doubled in the very near future. If it was not. then New Zealand wa' going to be in a very parlous state in (he event of an attack by a foreign Power.

What New Zealand needed more than anything else was trained man power. The Territorial Force should not be regarded as the Cinderella of ‘he services; it should be regarded as ‘he last and most important line of defence if this country was going to be preserved as a country.