THE DEFENCE BILL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2690, 21 December 1909, Page 5

THE DEFENCE BILL.

PROVISIONS EXPLAINED BY THE

PREMIER

In moving that the Defence Bill be referred to Committee, Sir Joseph Ward said he considered that the changes in the present system proposed] by the Bill would be of considerable value to the country. The Bill did. not propose compulsory military training, with which he was not in agreement. Under these proposals the first years expenditure would be £352,000 as against £202,000 at present entailedThe difference between these proposals and entire compulsion was that the latter would cost £1,080,000, and he did not feel that he could (propose any such system. The volunteer system had proved inadequate; the increase for the past year was 1632. It was next to impossible for the men in. charge of the corps to get anything: like continuity of attendance over a, number of years, and before many of them became fully efficient they had left the corp s and the result was a weakening of the system and of the appreciation of the system by both officers and men. There was only one thing to do, and that was to change the system. That was what he proposed, although as he had said he was against the proposal that every ablebodied man in the country should be forced to come under the system. They all recognised the good work done by the volunteers in the past, and the enthusiasm that had characterised the work of some of the officers and men. As to the Imperial Military Conference, he said that one important point was made perfectly clear—the right of the Oversea Dominions to do what they thought proper in the matter of defence, as disclosed in the reported proceedings already circulated among members. There was no justification for the belief that the Imperial authorities could call on our forces to serve abroad, besides which the Government of New Zealand retained full control of the New Zealand forces. Sir Joseph Ward acknowledged the good work done bv Colonel Davies at the sub-con-ference of the Imperial Conference, and remarked that at the conference the number of troops considered to bo requisite for the defence of New Zealand, wa s 30,000 highly trained men. That was a very much smaller number than had been considered necessary by those who had discussed the subject in New Zealand. The Bill proposed certain alterations. It was proposed to reduce the Council of Defence to three members. The carrying out ot tlieir policy would devolve on heads of various branches. The Council would, consist of the Chief of General Staff, the Minister of Defence, and a financial member. The general headquarters would be reorganised. The present volunteer force would be reorganised. The (permanent force would become more of an instructional force. There would be a coast defence force and a mobile defence force in each district, besides which there would he a special service section. The force would bo armed, equipped, and organised on the lines set forth at the Imperial Conference, viz., properly constituted garrison artillery, defence, field artillery,, and engineers, brigades of mounted rifles ana infantry, signallers, field $mhulance etc. Payment would have to. be made to those called upon for compulsory duty, 14 days in the year, and he thought that the pay should he 3» a day. They would be receiving full rations and ammunition, and employers w’ould not be called upon to pay the inea for the time they were away-