HOME DEFENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 April 1939, Page 5

HOME DEFENCE

FORCE OF AT LEAST 50,000 MEN SCHEME OUTLINED BY PRIME MINISTER. COMPLETE INVESTIGATION BEING MADE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, April 25. “My aim is a home defence force of at least 50,000 men, independent of overseas sources, for arms, ammunition and other essentials,” said the Prime Minister, Mr Savage, in announcing the general outline of a scheme for strengthening the land forces of New Zealand to meet an emergency. "I think that if I were to call the result would be that 50,000 men would come forward,” Mr Savage continued. "I do not think we would have any difficulty in getting them. I hope to be able to make that call in the near future. Meanwhile, I am asking the General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Military Forces, Major-Gener-al Duigan, how he is going to handle the men when they enrol.” "If we had 50,000 men under arms a certain number of others would be providing the necessary auxiliary services,” ne slud in sketching the broad scheme envisaged. “Frankly, I think that 50,000 men would not look at the job, and we would not stop at that. I do not think 1 could stop our men from enrolling if a crisis came. If you gave me 100,000 New Zealanders prepared to stand to their responsibilities in a crisis, they would take a lot. of shifting.” When asked if his statements could oe accepted as an indication that the manufacture of small arms and aeroplanes would be undertaken in New Zealand and the munition industry extended, Mr- Savage said that He was not prepared to make a definite announcement on those points. THINGS UNDER REVIEW. “Those are among the things under review at present,” Mr Savage continued. “ft is impossible for me to say what the prospects are at present, but our job is to provide not only the men, but also the material to fight with. Unless we can supply arms and other essentials we cannot do much fighting, so we will have to look to that side of it as well. "We are not sleeping. We have made greater progress in the defence of New Zealand than any other Government. It is not sufficient, however, to say that, we have to be able to have New Zealand in the position to meet any sort of emergency, and no one can say hojv soon a military emergency can take place. We have to be prepared to meet a condition of isolation. To be able to store up things is one, thing, but to be able to provide them ourselves is another. As far as possible it is our job to see to that.” Mr Savage described in detail the manner in which the Government was tackling the problem of how best to build up New Zealand’s defences. He said that neither the sea nor air forces would be neglected, and meanwhile the Government was obtaining all the information possible from experts. Group Captain Cochrane, till recently chief of the air staff, and New Zealand flying officers had done an excellent job in building the air force up from almost nothing.

COMMANDANT TO REPORT. “We want to have a complete investigation of the position,” he continued, in discussing the strength of the land forces, which he described as inadequate. “I have discussed this with General Duigan, and I have him at the present time preparing a report, I put it to him like this; ‘What can you do with 50,000 men up to 50 years of age?’ I know thousands of men of 50 who are pretty tough nuts to crack. If'you ask them to take up arms in New Zealand in defence of everything they hold dear, you will find plenty of them ready. “We are getting all the information we can,” Mr Savage said, in elaboration of his. reference to the Government’s survey of defence needs. “We are covering the whole scheme of things as far as defence is concerned, and we want to know that we are on the right track.’” The hope was expressed by Mr Savage that there would never be conscription in New Zealand. If, however, unforeseen happenings made it necessary, the Government would not begin with the conscription of men. but with the wealth and resources of New Zealand. No one would be allowed to make profits from the Dominion’s necessities.