THE VISIT OF THE IMPERIAL TROOPS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10870, 21 January 1901, Page 4

THE VISIT OF THE IMPERIAL TROOPS.

The news that the Imperial troops are to visit Xew Zealand will, we feel sure, be received with satisfaction throughout the colony. The- men themselves will be a source of the greatest possible interest to us. We her Majesty's ships from time to time—not, nearly so often as we should like to do—and the sight of the "handy man"' helps us to realise the oneness of the Empire, and- the main arm of its defence. For many years, however, the British Army has been little more to us than a name. We know of its existence, we are proud of its glorious history, but we know nothing of the men of whom it is composed, except what we are told. As the children say, "'Seeing is believing," and the sight of the picked troops who are visiting these colonies, their fine discipline, and their soldierly bearing, will, we believe, prove eminently gratifying to the patriotic feelings of the New Zealand people. Xever before have we taken so much interest-in the British. Army as at the present time. Our own sons are now fighting side by side with the Imperial troops in South Africa, and our hearts have been stirred within us by the stories they have told us of "Tommy's" daring in battle, his unfailing eheeriness, his tender devotion to his chums. That the men who are to pay a flying visit to this colony next month will receive a most enthusiastic welcome therefore goes without saying. It is stated that the Indian troops will not now form part of the visiting contingent. This is somewhat surprising in face of the cablegram from the Viceroy of India, published on Saturday, giving his consent to the visit. We trust that this later an-

nouncement is not the correct one, for the Indian troops would not only add very much to the picturesqueness of the occasion, but they would bring home to us a fact

which has been rather overlooked of late — namely, that the defence of the Empire does not rest on the shoulders of white fighting men alone. On the. South African chessboard only the white knight is in play, but

we still have the black knight in reserve for grave emergencies. The Goorkbas Tvnd Sikhs, like our fellow-subjects, the Maoris, hare proved themselves among the finest fighting races in the world. The Haussas of West Africa, under proper training, promise to be not one whit inferior; the Egyptian soldier has been evolved and developed in the most surprising manner, and we have little doubt that many of the South African natives will be added to our reserve of fighting strength in the future. It was a happy thought which led our Government to suggest that the Imperial troops should visit New Zealand, and we are glad that the Home Government responded so willingly to the invitation.