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Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 28, 24 September 1920, Page 7

A comparison between the defence proposals of Australia and New Zealand was made by Colonel G. J, Smith at a gathering held in Wellington in celebration of the New Zealand Division's entiy into the Battle of the Somme. Colonel Smith said Australia was spending 31s per head of population on defence, as compaied with New Zealand's present 13s per head. New Zealand, if she wer.e to sperd the same amount in defence as Australia was doing, would require to find £1,900,000 annually— £120,000 for military and naval aviation, £24,000 for civil aviation, £950,000 for naval defence, and £780,000 forthe military forces. This showed what Australia thought of the menace in the Pacific, and how she was meeting it. Referring to the same subject, the Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister for Public WTorks, said it was gratifying that the Parliament of New Zealand had decided, by an almost unanimous vote, that New Zealand must have some system of defence, and that service must be universal. That having been decided, it was only a question of devising a suitable scheme, and seeing that the expenditure entailed was not unduly lavish.