The Waikato Times MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 1937. NATIONAL SECURITY.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20267, 9 August 1937, Page 8

The Waikato Times MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 1937. NATIONAL SECURITY.

Last week the Prime Minister made an important statement with regard to national security, and as the Commonwealth Defence Council has since announced that plans for the protection of Australia have been advanced “to a stage where, in the event of war, the whole of the resources could be organised at a moment’s notice,” the two countries are working along similar lines. The Federal Minister of Defence has stated that this is so, and probably when the Dominion Minister makes his promised statement in the course of a few days a defence policy will be outlined. Mr Savage contemplates an organisation capable of dealing with any national emergency and mentioned epidemics and earthquakes, but these probably will be supplementary to the co-ordination of all branches of defence. The first aim will be an organisation similar in principle to the Committee of Imperial Defence in Great Britain, which is working to co-ordinate the branches and bring them up to the standard required. There is a special Ministry at Home directing this work.

The need for close co-operation between Australia and New Zealand has never been questioned. They may have conflicting interests in the matter of trade, and be strong competitors for larger markets in the Mother Country, but in matters of defence their interests are identical. It is one of the things on which they can work together, to ensure that the defence forces of the two countries could combine, if ever that were necessary, with the maximum efficiency. There could be a similarity of equipment and of training and field organisation, and the Government should be able to count on the strong support of the people of New Zealand in any effort made to reach a complete understanding on these important matters. Mr Savage rightly stressed the fact that the economic life of the community must be maintained, but there must also be a carefully designed plan for the readjustment of the internal economy in the event of a crisis, and this is the task to be undertaken in the near future. In his speech at the reception given him in Wellington the Prime Minister said that his requests for information regarding defence matters had bqen willingly and fully met by the British authorities, so that the Government must now make plans in order that the provisions of the Dominion may fit in with those of Australia and the Mother Country. Defence is not a party matter, and if, as a result of the conversations he has had, and the information obtained at the Imperial Conference, the Prime Minister should bring down a comprehensive scheme it will be considered solely from the point of view of its probable efficiency. The Dominion wishes to play its full part in the defence policy of the Empire.