BAD EXAMPLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 247, 19 October 1939, Page 19

BAD EXAMPLE.

OFFICIAL MUDDLING.

AUSTRALIAN RECRUITING.

A CANCELLED ANNOUNCEMENT

(From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, October 6. A bad example of official muddling in connection with the recruiting of tin: Special Force en used one newspaper to inquire sorrowfully this week if Australia hurl <i. "Mumbling Minnie" of its own. (Observing that not one word has yet. come forth from the recently-formed Mini-try of Information, the Federal labour Party has dubbed it "Dumb Dora. ) Although the Army authorities have the names and addresses of more volunteers than are required for the lorce of 20,000, lecruiting has not yet officially beffin. l/ist w.-ek the "Sun" announced, on the authority of Arinv Headquarters at Y'ietoria Barracks, that recruiting would begin on Friday. The annoiinceiii"nt appeared iu a late edition and disappeared from the tiiuil edition.

Next day the "Daily Telegraph" announced that, the report was incorrect nnd by inference put the blame for the mistake on the "Sun.' The "Sun" replied to this with what amounted to an apology by the Barracks, which «gree<l that the newspaper had accepted its announcement in good faith and naively explained that the announcement had been "somewhat premature." Purer ling the matter, the "Telegraph" then discovered that although the military authorities had telephoned the "Sun" aftd lirjuently asked it to withdraw the announcement, they had forgotten all about t'lie national broadcasting stations, which continued at all their newe sessions the same night to announce that recruiting would begin that Friday.

This week the "Telegraph" announced, apparently on official authority, that the order to begin recruiting was coining by mail from Defence headqparters in Melbourne instead of by telegram, and that this had caused the delay, but next day this was denied by the "Sun," which said the order probably referred to recruiting of A.I.F. veterans for garrison fluty. Finally, this Wednesday the Minister for Defence (Mr. Street) mu.i the recruiting date for the Special Force could not lie fixed until the War Cabinet had decided the rates of pay for the force, and dropped a hint that .steps would lie taken "to ensure that iii future announcements of military arrangements would be made by someone in authority. Building New A.I.F. Camp. Meantime, 700 men are working 15 hours, a day, Saturdays and Sundays included, 'building the camp at Inglebum where the N.S.W. quota of the speciAl fore® will be trained. The men work from 0 a.m. to 1) p.m., with breaks of three-quarters of an hour for breakfast, lunch and tea, and as a result of these long hours «ome of them are earning up'to £10 per week. The camp has to be completed by the end of this month. It will include more than 200 huts,, of ihardwood, /built on brick piers and with corrugated fibro roofs, as well ns cookhouses, entertainment huts and administrative office#, and, of course, will be equipped with the necessary water and lighting services. The site is ono square mile in area.

Whilftthe Army is awaiting announcement of the rccruiting date for the special force, it is pushing ahead with the special month'* training of the militia, in two batches each of 40.000. The largest troop movements in Sydney since the Great War occurred this week when 4000 nlen were transported to militia training campe at Rutherford and Raymond Terrace. On Saturday another 4300 will join them, and some

3000 are already in camp at Long Bav and other places, so that by next week more than 11,000 will be in training altogether.

As in New Zealand, the question whether there should bo wet canteens for the rank and file has caused considerable discussion. Officers commanding the Rutherford militia camp are said to be considering making a vigorous protest against the regulations which Allow wet canteens for officers and non-oomg,, but forbid them for private*. Their view was thua summarised by one of them: "The men will get their beer whether the canteen is dry or not. If they ean't get it at the camp they will walk the three miles to West Maitland and get it there, and after walking three miles they won't stop at one or two drinks. An extra 1 battalion would he needed to prevent them breaking camp to get their 'l>eer. A properly controlled wet canteen would l)« much preferable to that." If the canteen is dry, West Maitland hotels expect to sell nil extra 3000 gallons of beer a week to the troops. Strike Protest Against Food. At the Long Bay Camp, 250 militiamen refused to accept their etew ration at their nocfn meal one day this week. They paraded without plates and were marched by an orderly officer into the mean hut, but marched out again and wore dismissed unfed. Later the C.O. ordered another parade, but the men still refused to take their stew, which, hefng cold by this time, was ordered back to the cookhouse and replaced by bully l>eef. That night, according to the militiamen, they had a "slap-bang"

tea of roast beef, bread and jam and

peaches. The men complained that they were served too, often with stew, that burnt stew was doctored with sauce,

that cabbage was cocjked up in greasy meat water, and that potatoes were served half raw.