TERRITORIAL DISCIPLINE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 102, 30 April 1913, Page 4

TERRITORIAL DISCIPLINE.

As _—t of our readers must be aware, - incidents of an unpleasant character | have been reported recently from several of tbe Territorial camps, suggesting that , the men in same cases had very little sense of discipline, and that they were not well under control. General Godley, ,as Officer in Command of the New Zealand Defence Forces, has personally investigated the facts in connection with the disturbances at the Oringi camp, and the formal statement that he has caused to be circulated is in many respects very reassuring. In two cases — a-t tho Oringi and Sutton camps —General Godley points out that trouble arose becat— c a section of the men resented tho action of one of their number in forwarding to the Press reports of incidents that bad taken place in the • camps. On this point General Godley is careful to explain that he is anxious to give the Press every facility for the ds- :- charge of its important duties, and that so far as he is concerned the Territorial system courts publicity. We may remark in passing that our own representatives have been treated with courtesy in the camps, and that opportunities have always been afforded them to keep in touch with everything going on. But when General Godley suggests that no reporting for the Press should bo done by men serving in the ranks, we may point out iv reply that even if the reporter is not a member of the company, or engagea in military duties, he must depend upon the men in training for his information, and that <he responsibility ot supplying facts for public consumption must still be thrown upon the men themselves. If it is true that, as was stated recently, it is contrary to the King's Regulations for a member of the forces to act as reporter, the case is different; and this jis a matter that we would like to see definitely cleared up. But whether tbe men of the Territorial forces think they have a justiliablc grievance or not, it is obvious that they must not be permitted to express their views in their own way entirely without regard to the public interest or the claims of discipline. Ou this point General Godley's statement is, of course, entirely in accord with our views. At all costs discipline must be maintained. If the men once get out of hand, if they do not habitually display proper respect for the authority and the wishes of their officers, our National training system will be doomed beyond redemption. But it is consoling to learn that breaches of discipline reported from the Oringi camp have been rather exaggerated in the process of trans—isaion. The now notorious- "raid" in Dannevirke involved only about 50 men; they never got past their own picket lines; and the fact that they then listened to the remonstrances of their officers and returned to camp certainly says a good deal for their respect for military authority. As General Godley says, if more than 2,600 out of 2,700 men were exemplary in their conduct, and if the Email balance were speedily brought to reason by their offers, there is not much to complain of after all. We may add that the Commandant's opinion is corroborated by Police Inspector O'Donovan and by the Rev. J. A. Luxford, one of tbe •best-I—own military chaplains in the Dominion, who both speak in high praise of the men's conduct in camp. On the ■ whole, therefore, we regard General Godley's statement as distinctly encouraging. It ii—sbs upon the necessity for the maintenance of discipline; it assures us that the Commandant and the officers of our Citizen Army desire full publicity for the doings of the troops in camp or in training; and it promises that every facility will be afforded to secure such publicity through the -Press. General Godley is careful to reiterate that, whatever excuse may he urged in defence of the men concerned, he is determined to maintain discipline and to punish the offenders; and so long as our Territorial system is administered in strict accordance with the spirit of this document the people of New Zealand will have no cause to complain.

The following Is Mr. D. C Bates' weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 ami. this day:—"Tlie indications are for variable and strong breezes, southerly Strong t6 gale prevailing. The weather will probably prove equally, with heavyshowers, and become very cold. Baroj meter rising soon. Expect high haro- ', metric pressure. Sea, moderate swell." ! The Auckland Hoard of Education has J been advised thai tiie grant for the main- | tenance ami rebuilding of schools for the current year Is £17,700.

The chairman of the Education Board (Mr. G. J. Garland), referring this morn- s ing -to the question of medical inspection 1 of school children, expressed the opinion '. that it was quite impossible for the one " medical officer appointed by the Govern- ■ ment for this district to cover the ground < in an ordinary lifetime. His idea was - that some arrangement should be made whereby the services of resident medical ' practitioners could be secured to under- i take this work. It would be done just '< as efficiently, and certainly mOTe expedi- j tiously. It was a hopelessly impossible ' task for one officer to cover the ground. ' The Board decided to approach the De- 1 partment with a view to having carried '• into effect Some such suggestion as the < one indicated. ' Hunting dogs have been in training ! and guns have been undergoing overhaul of late in preparation for the shooting season, which opens to-morrow. A large \ number of sportsmen have been going • out of town during the last few days to ; reach favourite shooting grounds in time , for the very first shot. Many more intend proceeding by Main Trunk -train to night for duck shooting in the Waikato district. About a score have already ' left for Whangarei. in quest of pheas- < ants, but these bird 3 seem to have been i affected by the lengthy spell of dry < weather . and the many bush fires that 1 have raged north of Auckland. Mortal- 1 ity among young birds up there has been < particularly noticeable. Good sport is ; anticipated on the Waikato River, and 1 various swamps, among the grey duck s and spoonbill duck. Quail, teal, cock i pheasants and black swan are also re- t ■ported to be plentiful, so that big bags l should be finding their way back to town I for some time to come. i When the case ot a Maori was called ! on at the Napier Police Court, in which ' defendant was' charged with obtaining ; money from a Napier tailor by false • pretences, it was pointed out that the 1 case was a rather peculiar one. The ■ native was worth between £12,000 and £15.000, and had no intention to defraud. The police sergeant said that when the cheque was presented it was found that his bank account was overdrawn. Couneel for defendant contended there was nothing in that. That often happened with sheepfarmers, and his client was a sheepfarmer. On the application of the police the case was adjourned in order to secure further evidence. At the meeting of the Board of Education to-day, Mr. H. J. Greenslnde, when the report of the Teachers' Selection Committee was under consideration, remarked that he was pleased to note that, in the case of Mahurangi Heads and Mullet Point vacancy, two names were to be submitted to the School Committee for the selection of a head teacher. Personally he had always advocated the sending of three names. It was explained that in the -special case the two names were being subtaitted solely beicauso the applicants, a lady and a gentleman, were practically equal on the grade list. When speaking a I the opening of the Y.M.C.A.'s new building in Wellesley Street this afternoon, the president (Mr. A. C. Caughey) remarked that when tbe foundation-stone of tbe building was being laid the 'Mayor referred regretfully to the inadequacy of the provision made for the young women of the city in the building opposite, occupied by tTie Y.W.CA. "Well," said Mr. Caughey, "I am pleased to say the young men took the hint, and, with characteristic chivalry, have pledged themselves to help their sisters when they set out on a campaign for funds for a better building. ' Indeed, a resolution to that effect is recorded in the minute-book of our Association, so that our organisation is out to help not only the other iellow, but also to help the other fellow's sister." At the Christchurch Magistrate's Court a man who described himself as a board-ing-bouse keeper was brought up on a judgment summons, tne original debt being due for coal supplied. He said he had three boarders at 18/ per week, and j rented a room to another at 10/. He I could pay nothing. He was asked, "But you don't want to run a boarding-house on other people's coal?" The debtor, who may not have understood the question, answered, "You couldn't run a boarding-house without."' His Worship added, sharply, "Then you had better raise the prices to your boarders." At the Huntly Police Court on Monday, Thomas Labrum was charged with having shot a pheasant out of season. The case was conducted by the police, who stated that Labrum was seen to deliberately shoot a pheasant a few yards in front of the house of the man who had reared them. The birds were quite tame. The accused pleaded guilty, and was fined £0 16/, in default one month's imprisonment. The presiding justice characterised the offence as a most contemptible one. Applications will be received at the District Lands and Survey Office up to 4 o'clock on Tuesday, June 24, far three sections of second-class land in the Opoe and Rangaunu survey district, Mangonni County. One section containing some 176 acres, is situated two and a-half miles from Waft—rera, and the two otheT lots containing 134 acres and 95 acres respectively are half-a-mile to a mile and a-quarter from Kaimaumau ln-nding. The selections comprise level to hilly land, covered with manuka scrub and are offered upon the optional system. At the annual meeting of householders j in Huntly, the Socialists of Huntly were ] represented, and took great exception to J the school grounds being granted 'for military training purposes. It was moved: "That this meeting of householders instruct its School Committee that, pending the repeal of the compulsory clause of the Defence Act. and the substituting of a clause adequately guarding against the use of the military during industrial strife, the use of the school buildings or grounds be on no ■account granted to the Defence authorities." On the motion "being put to the meeting, it was declared lost. A sitting of the Railways Appeal Board is to be opened' to-morrow morning under the presidency of Dr -McArthur. It will be held in the Supreme Court buildings, and is expected to commence at 10 o'clock. Various appeal matters will be dealt with. The timber industry in Hawke's Bay has not shown any signs of improvement of late. In fact, the conditions have gone from ba-d to worse, and some millers who have been Tunning two mills have closed one down for an indefinite period. The stringency of the money market is responsible for a slump in the industry, and there is nothing to show that there will be any improvement for some time to come. An Australian mail was landed at Wellington this morning from the Union - Comp—ry's Manuka, which arrived at 7 a.m. from Sydney. Forty bags for Auckland are being brought on by the ' Main Trunk express due here to-morrow morning. There is considerable lack of employment in Dunedin. and the Labour Department has received a good many ap--1 olicafc' ins for registration

The interruption of military parades at Grafton Hall- by outside youths has £ become somewhat notorious among per- c sons interested in defence matters, and j the Defence authorities have now decided 0 to deal firmly with the nuisance. In t consequence, two youths, Roy Taylor and s Henry Raymond Goldsmith came before Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., charged with f interrupting a parade. The evidence ( against them was that they were among j a crowd of young fellows who congre- : gated outside Grafton Hall when drill . was in progress, —d annoyed those insidle by continually opening the door and , by kicking it wh6n it was closed. Goldsmith stated that he was waiting with others to hold a football meeting in the hall after the parade. The "Magistrate remarked that the excuse was a plausible one, but he would hold that the J mere act of congregating in numbers out- * side a hall when drill was in progress * was an interruption of parade. He ' hoped that the ■prosecution would be a ' warning to the defendants and others. s The defendants would be convicted, and c ordered to pay 16/ costs each. t "A new development which has attract- * ed attention, and is highly commended by , eminent military authorities in England and elsewhere has been the adaptation ' of the V.M.C.A. to meet the needs of the J large groups of young men who from time to time assemble in the Territorial ' encampments," said Mr. A. C. Caughey, ! at the official opening of the V.M.C.A. building this afternoon; "In almost every -j, such encampment," he added, "is to be t found the V.M.C.A. field service mar- t quees, well equipped with piano, writing t materials, literature, table games, and so i. forth. The tents are used for the pur- 6 poses of reading and recreation by day 3 and night, and the chaplains use them for < religious services on Sunday. At the 1 recent Cambridge encampment," added 1 Mr. Caughey, "an average of 1.000 men j per day made use of the facilities of- " fered." 0 Applause.) ( The retirement of Sir Charles Hotham. * G.C.8., G.C.V.0., the senior Admiral of ' the Fleet, on reaching the age limit of 70 ' years, took place this week (writes our ' London correspondent under date March . 22). The Admiral's rest is well earned, ' for he had served the State for no less than 57 years. He entered the navy in 1856, and first saw active service in the ( New Zealand War, being one of the officers of the party which attacked the rebel , redoubt at Rangiriri in 1863. He was wounded in one of the assaults, and his . services were specially mentioned, re- j suiting in promotion. He has the New Zealand medal. He was flag captain on i tbe Alexandra at the bombardment of the j forts at Alexandria in 1882, and also : served during the subsequent operations, , receiving the C.B. Four years later he c was made A.D.C. to Queen Victoria, and f [ became flag officer in 1S88; His chief ap- i pointments have been as a Commissioner < at the Admiralty in 18S8; Commander- i in-Cnief on the Pacific Station, 1890-3; c Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, 1897-9; i and Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, ' 1900-3. He was knighted in 1895, and J later was made a G.C.B. and a G.C.V.O. iA Territorial who came before Mr ' Cutten, S.M., to-day for failing to at- , tend drill, mentioned that his employers had written to the officer commanding ' his company explaining that he had to be ' at work on the occasion of the parade. : "That is exactly what I wanted to ! know," commented the magistrate, and ! he instructed the military officer in 1 court to take the name of the employer and lay a. specific information against him. "You will never get the Act de- ; cently observed," concluded Mr. Cutten, ; "till you go for the defaulting employ--ers." 1 When HALs. New Zealand was in Wei- , lington the residents witnessed a brilliant electric illumination, no fewer than 3,1300 16—indie-power bulbs being used in the outlining of the vessel apart from , those used in the composition of the crown. The warship was illuminated in the manner adopted by the fleet at the time of the important naval reviews at Spithead, and the sight was certainly the finest of its kind ever seen in the Wellington Harbour. A well-known resident of Christchurch told a reporter that he had read with interest a paragraph stating that in Auckland the friends of a sick girl had advertised for s nails, believing that they would aid her to recovery. The gentleman referrede to further stated that in his native district of Orleans snails were prescribed for his sister who was consumptive. She was ordered tO take the small ones which crawl upon the vines, and pick them from .their shells, and eat them alive. She did co, and was cured. The prescription is not an unusual one in France, and is often most successful. In the case of his own children, here in New Zealand, he has cured bad colds by means of a spray made from snails. A painful accident befell Mr H. A. Clarke at Foster's timber-yard, Whangarei yesterday. His left hand was caugbt in the cogs of a planing machine and Was badly crushed before the machine could be stopped. The hand was extricated with difficulty-, and the sufferer was conveyed to the Whangarei Hospital, Where it was found necessary to amputate the middle finger. Slight hopes are entertained of saving the rest of the fingers. The recommendations recently agreed, to before the Conciliation Council in the. dispute between the Union Company and the - Wellington district branch of the Australasian Institute of Marine Engineers, have been filed with the clerk of awards, and if no objection is raised, will become an award in a week. Three prominent Labour leaders—P. U. : Webb (president of the Federation of Labour), E. J. Howard (secretary of the ' Canterbury General Labourers' Union), and F. Cooke (a prominent Socialist and a candidate for the City Council) —who some weeks ago were each fined £2 and costs for having caused an obstruction' | of the traffic by addressing a public meeting at the clonk tower, and who failed to pay their fines, were arrested yesterday and taken to the Lyttelton gaol to serve a month's imprisonment. ' There is a large influx of Maoris to [ Whangarei to attend the meeting of the ' Tokerau Land Board, which' opened yesterday. The Board consists of Mr Dinnie (president) and Messrs H. S. Wilson ' and Hori Tane. The business to be dealt [ with consists of 33 applications for alienation and four applications for vesting certain lands in their respective owners. i One settler on the Mataura River flat , below the Seaward Bush railway has s built his house upon high piles, but he ! had not reckoned upon the extraordinary flood of three weeks ago. The piles . are some 4ft high from the ground, , which is ample for the ordinary freshes - which overflow the rich river flat land ■in the vicinity. He will build his per- . manent home upon still higher piles, so , as to cope with future inundations like the Tecent flood. At the Magistrnte's Court. Whangarei. yesterday, Reinhold RuhoelTs was fined £2 in default U days for using obscene language.

The desire to do honour to Captain Scott and those who perished -with hiiu ■>' on their return journey from the South_ Pole has naturally dominated the council I of the Koyal Geographical Society i tl their deliberations on the bestowal of the society's award for 1913 (writes our London correspondent). Already, on Mafirst expedition, on board the Discovery Captain Soott had been awarded the Patron's Medal in 1003, after hiß record journey to lat. "32deg 17min S., as well: as a special Antarctic medal after the work of the expedition was completed No further medal will, therefore he", awarded in bis name, but Lady Scott! will be presented with a casket to contain' the medals previously presented to her husband. In those circumstances there will be no award of the Founder's Medal this year, but with the approval of the King, as Patron of the society, the Patron's Medal for 1013 will be awarded' in the name of Br K. A. Wilson, Who accompanied Captain Scott on both hi 3 expeditions and perished with him. One the latter expedition ]):• Wilson filled the position of chief nf tbe scientific staff and en hdth expeditions he added largely; to knowledge of the natural history con. ditions in the Antarctic, while doing much to assist geogi-ppliers to realist the geographical features of the Smilli Polar regions by his excellent drawings and paintings. According to the Dunedin "Star," it,; is understood that it is the intention of 1 the Government to make several ' *cajj e " to the Legislative Council before JP&rliai3 ment meets again. The number of fr_h appointments mentioned is four, arid-; seeing that the Council is reduced to bnt",' 38 members, it cannot be argued that the Government would be "swamping" thi' Upper House by the increases mentioned.:' In his predecessor, in bis long-retained position as 'Leader of the Opposition, Sir: William 'Russell, and in Mr Hardy, hi old party Whip, Mr Massey should find two eminently experienced ex-tPariiainen-"' tarians who would be thoroughly athome in the .fighting which seems to hit. before the Council. As to whom the r£--maining two appointees would be, thereis a much wider field for conjecture. Possibly one of them may be a member' nf the native race, who, what with Mr Parata ; s. advancing age and Mr Wi Pere'l forfeiture of his seat, have i—ufneieni representation in the Legislative Council.as at present constituted. There is said to be a particularly interesting relic of the olden dayV'rt. l Dovedale in the Nelson district. :_BiS \ithe musket which was the cause of the?-' Wairau masacre, near Blenheim. Thi. relic is now in the possession of a.lad*" in Dovedale, whose father owned tiie weapon. It will be remembered that the ■ discharge of the gun was accidental, hut the Maoris thought that the shot was intentionally made- Anyway, the chief's Idaughter was killed. Immediately tatr natives turned on the pakehas, and tW. dreadful massacre was perpetrated; aid'; now the gun which caused the ai—hief is hanging up in a quiet farmhouse" ii Dovedale. Two Maori girls (sisters) were recently, admitted to the Wanganui hospital sui-i fering from typhoid fever, and.qne.diei"! Their friends immediately jumped to the';conclusion that the other girl 'Hit. doomed if she stayed in the iastttntnir and they proceeded there in a bodyt£ demand that she be handed oyer, 'to; them. The Health Inspector questioned' them, and they made known their intSßj--tion to " take, her a Jong distance frtil -■ town," presumably with the pbjectroi removing her from the supposedly malign influence of the pakeha medicine mite The. inspector..naturally refused.the ft-.; quest', whereupon they'declared -theif/W; tention of taking the giri by force, 'jiidj! consequently, the police were i_g tip;Ultimately, after consulting between tli.'inspector and the medical super— 'en4->: ent, it wa6 agreed to let the Maoris hart} the girl, on their giving ah. that she would be isolated; 1 and treated; under medical advice. An Inchelutha farmer, who was pricttcally isolated by the recent flood, had i ! novel experience with a big trout whid. he discovered in his cowyard. I*ood ;.in' such a time of stress was at a premium on that particular steading, and the fiX mcr lost no time in getting after.then* expected visitor with a pitchfork. _Bb big fish was, after ah exciting hunt, safety: impaled on the fork, and when ft an—fired to the domestic weighing machine it "tipped the beam" at 161b Soz. A sum approximating £10,000 wu required to pay the troops at Oringt' Each man received 4/ a day, and M officers a larger sum. ...,.;■;-.- A Wellington paper states that;tie master of an American vessel now; in New Zealand waters is prospecting, : tli' Dominion with a view to openingavenues to American financiers. . ' .'. To dress well come here, where,quality and style are 1 strong points of-'ererr article. Our neglige shirts'will pi'— you.—Geo'. Fowlds, Ltd .— (Ad.). ** - .-V (*§ If you get a chill -with fcore; and tightness of chest, tackle it at«—* with " Nazol." It grips it quicker-tJM more effectualiv than most remisii**' (Ad.) 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