DOMINION’S DEFENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1939, Page 7

DOMINION’S DEFENCE

FORCE OF SIXTEEN THOUSAND TERRITORIALS EXCELLENT RECRUITING PROGRESS. ENLISTMENT CAMPAIGN BEING CONTINUED. " I am delighted to announce,” said Mr F. Jones, Minister of Defence, "that the Territorial Army has exceeded the strength of 15.000 which was laid down as tiie peace establishment, on expansion from the previous strength of 9,500. Yet it is barely a month since the Army Recruiting Committee published throughout the Press of New Zealand the personal appeal from the Prime Minister and thereby launched an organised campaign. Such results in the time are most gratifying. May I congratulate the teams of willing helpers —regular staff, serving territorials, public-spirited men and women —who nave worked so hard in every district from Kaitaia to Riverton, and done so well.” "But the task is not yet over. Certain provincial regiments, faced with a relatively large expansion, have not yet fully filled their ranks, although they have made good progress and the numbers still required are not large. Moreover, certain towns which have been allotted regimental quotas have not yet completed their recruiting drives. I feel sure that more good men of the type we have already enrolled will come forward, particularly at the centres where they are required, and do their duty. There is another reason why recruiting will be continued while volunteers of such excellent type are coming forward. The strength of 16,000 includes 700 bandsmen in the various regiments who, while they perform most important and valuable duties and are a great asset to the Territorial' Army, cannot legitimately be counted as fighting troops, although these men are trained in the duties of stretcher bearers. In these troublous times it is essential that we have the complete organisation of 16,000 combatant troops, and we are. therefore, continuing our enlistment campaign, and will still accept every recruit who can measure up to the high standard now. required. “I cannot stress too often that voluntary recruiting for the Territorial Army is succeeding. Despite the gloomy prophecies of interested parties, nearly 5.000 additional men between the ages of 18 and 32 have responded to the PriAie Minister's appeal. The majority of new recruits have attended. or are attending in the next few weeks, a six days’ recruits’ course' at one of the district schools. They will then have carried out their elementary training and will be ready to carry on with more advanced training in the regiment. Territorial regiments have now officers, N.C.O's. and men, together with adequate weapons and ammunition, ready for action. We have the organisation and the equipment. We have got the men—good men—who measure up to a high standard physically and mentally. Officers and N.c'O’s. of the various units throughout New Zealand.- have a splendid opportunity and a inost important duty to press on with training so that their platoons, troops Sind batteries, etc., will be as efficient as possible in the shortest possible time. The men are so keen to learn that units are having difficulty in coping with the additional out of camp training involved, but they are tackling the work in a great spirit and excellent progress is being made. “Some critics say from time to time that our Territorials are untrained. That is untrue. The majority are not fully-trained soldiers. Very few parttime soldiers ever could be. On the other hand, I doubt whether many regulars, officers or men, would consider themselves ‘fully trained’ despite years of service and experience. But Territorial regiments have men sufficiently trained even now to fight as they aie likely to fight here in New Zealand. They could hold coast defences against attack from the sea; or hold defiles against raiders trying to penetrate inland; or make aircraft attack against our vital areas decidedly unpleasant for the attackers. Moreover, they would have good artillery support and plenty of motor transport with which to change front rapidly as the situation changed. “I have every confidence that the expanded Territorial force will progress just as quickly in fighting efficiency as it has in numbers.”