THE DEFENCE SCHEME.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 286, 1 December 1911, Page 2

THE DEFENCE SCHEME.

»«eatfgWpia '. J' ' - DSLAY IX OP.SRAnO.SS. »By Telegraph*?m» Assodatlen.) CH&ISTCHURCH, this day. In the course of a long report on the •wQtloag- of the new- 4~w>»*- h-kmm m lie Canterbury district Colonel liurnett. btuart refers to expreasio;-* ui public dj»appoiataent hnrsmsa the acheuM has not been developed, more rapkiiy. He says he has been uneaaalagiy at work on the %heme for a year, and does hot share th# flUaappoiatißwit. ike public had no apprectauQß m tae amowat ox preuaiaiury woxtE involved. lue ami to evoive an entirely new oigaais*tion, draw up regulations and instructions) lay down jtrtanUatawJataj and crow* inanhmery wjux .-ouml work aaootajy, eajsct and train penasseav '>«ioere and distribute tooa. rewrite the army list, pi o viae anus, uniform, equipment, ana stores, arrange for toe issuing, maintaining, and aocuiuiuug of suur«&, lake stocx of existing otoeuue properUes, and adjust terms ui ownsr&mp or lease. i'ae work of compiling the regulation* alone took six months, for it had to be done with extreme care. Such -work was essential to the foundation of the system, out it made uo show in the public eye. Colonel fetuart says a mistake was made in commencing the training of troops before organisation and other preliminaries were complete, and parades were held before the iiepaitmeni was ready, let the scheme was not a failure, and it oad not yet been tried, lie added: "We are working men, with our way to make, and could not spare tims to devote ourselves to a failure or a dead Act I know of no intention to modify the Act. I only know we are not quite ready to give the snip the hnai puan and send it down to the water. In a month or so we shall be ready."