THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11692, 19 September 1903, Page 7

THE DEFENCE FORCES.

MAJOR-GENERAL BABINGTON'S REPORT.

(special to "thk press.") WELLINGTON, September 18.. Mijor-Ueneral Babington's report on the Defence Forces of New Zealand was presented to Parliament to-day. He states

that ho has now completed the inspection

of 16? corps. He complains of the small

musters in some eases, and expresses ihs opinion that legislation should be applied

to givo the Commandant the call of all members of a corps once a year. In regard to staff and organisation tli* general says:—"l regret that, with th« exception of an application having boea

made for the services of an officer of tha Royal Engineers, none of the recommen-

dations submitted by me and referred to in my annual report of last year, have been given effect to. In the matter of staffs,

the districts of Auckland, Otago, and Can-

terbury are in a less efficient state than they were in 1902. Staff officers are as

essential iu military affairs as the various

responsible persons in any large business.

It takes time to train them, and it is too late to do so when war comes. The cost to the country would be very small, and if economy has to bo effected it should be carried out in matters less vital to efficiency."

The mine fields proposed and commenced at Port Chalmers and Lyttelton have, with the approval of the Admiral lately commanding the Australian station, been abandoned. A very large saving of public money has been effected by this; econo-

mies, approximating £7OOO per annum, without loss of efficiency, have also been effected in the matters of personnel, extraneous services, clerical staff, etc. The estimates for defence amounted last year to £329.854. The expense mcurred by the South African Contingents doubtless did something to swell the amount under this heading. How much of the £329,864estimated for last year was expended, tho Commandant is not in a position to say. The strength of the volunteer for;e, exelusive of cadets, on Ist August, was 13,934—a decrease for the rear of 1457.

In regard to mounted corps a great t'lfference in the relative efficiency is noted.

•The weak point in the mounted branch at present is their knowledge of dismounted , duties. It has been impressed on all concerned that dismounted action is the true metier of the mounted riflemen and great improvement must 'be looked for in this most important part of their duties. A new and lighter riile is being introduced in England, and the future wants of Hie colony should be met by procuring these. Mounted corps, in the first instance, should bo aimed With them. On the whole the horses of mounted corps are serviceable, but saddlery is not in all cases satisfactory, and on service the horses would suffer. Nose bags should be provided for mounted corps. Tho Field Artillery, while efficient for the most part in gun drill, require very ■• much more practice iu the field. The bat- : teries are, with the exception of "D" Bat-' tery (Wellington), which has twelve permanent horses available, much handicapped through wu'iit of horses trained to '• this work. Were even one team per battery supplied this would enable a section to be exercised, and drivers, etc., to be : , properly trained. The upkeep of the permanent horses in Wellington has been . shown to cost little or nothing, owing to tho money saved tin cart?ng, etc., performed by them, and a similar system could be worked out at the other centres.

The Garrison Artillery is doing good work, but the strength of tho Garrison Artillery volunteers is not sufficient for ' service requirements, and tho formation of other companies is wider consideration. Commendable work is being done by tho ;.\ Engineer Corps. ■ - The Infantry Corps are, generally ing, progressing and fairly efficient. There are a few companies quite fit to take the field under any conditions, but from the !: causes referred to in speaking of the. Mounited Corps, the majority are not at present in that desirable position. This ' is not their fault, but is owing to the conditions under which they serve, and tip -,',■} till lately have been trained. More outdoor ■ work is very much required, and every ad- || vantage should 'be taken of the sujnmer , " mornings and evenings. Although re- || cruils can be trained ?u drill halls little v practical instruction can bo imparted, except in the field. Drill hall training in-. - culcates a cramped spirit in corps. In- - struction in the principles and practice of - attack and defence, and fa detached duties • is required, and am only be satisfactorily : : ; i imparted in the open. ,■.'*'.-. A Veterinary Corpsi is in process of for* / mation. % •'•-:■. •». : .~ In regard to Cadet Corps the Command-j ant is strongly of opinion that every Brig- :; lish-speaMng 'boy tliroughout the Empire ■'■'j_ should be trained as a cadet, and that the V future safety of the Empire demands either :['* this or conscription. In this colony there M are now forty-six Cadet Corps, under the > Defence Department. Their efficiency, •;;,: generally speaking, is very satisfactory. \ : ~ Fourteen additional corps have been forni- ..;?■ ed during the past year. There are 109 rifle clubs Jn existence?. :; Their present position is unsatisfactory to ' all concerned. It is hoped that this will : soon be amended, and that they may shortly form more of an integral part of tho ,H defence forces than 'they do at present. . Lack of training and discipline and ofxAl -5 terms for membership as regard* age ;. physical fitness for service, etc., however, [i render it fie clubs of but small value as a .J fighting force, compared to trained corps. In regard to tho general equipment of r, volunteers, it is stated that in very many .| cases the equipment of corps is incomplete, \. and this is discouragfng to them. A; Ber-'..'■'•* viceable equipment has,been approved, and , it is hoped that deficiencies may be met / •; with as .little delay as possible. Orders for the establishment of a re- ;-'? serve supply of small arm , ammunition '.., have been given, and it is hoped that this V; i reserve will, as finances admit, be brought m up to adequate requirements. The stor- -. age of ammunition should, as far as possif - ble, be decentralised. The quality of the /;; small arm ammunition supplied by the. - - Colonial Ammunition Company continues .; to be satisfactory. It is a matter for i regret that this company's capacity for supply is not greater, and that no facili- , ... ties for the manufacture of gun ammunition exist , ' u

In his concluding remarks the General ' states that from some cause.or other the ■■rf; Defence forte of this colony does not- oc- •- cupy that position which its work and iiu- ■-. portance to the colony entitles it to. Its members give their time, and in many in- | stances their money, in the course of learning that profession which will alone servo. r || the country in the hour of need, and they deserve the greatest credit for doing so. When war comes the military occupy the first place in the people's thoughts, and it does not seem equitable that in peace they : S| should occupy the last, but for the most part this is the case. Men, by becoming volunteers, put their loyalty into a practical form; they are the insurance against , war risks for the country, and for those-?? who give no time to military training. The case of the officers holding commands and staff officers under the Defence Depart-; ment, too, would appear ono for special ■ consideration. While civil servants re- ~ ceive compensation, no length of service can qualify these officers for such, and tho gj pay of their appointments is not so rema- , iterative as to admit of their saving money. It must be also remembered that their positions are by no means assured, andmany are merely Abiding temporary ap- ■[ | point men ts. These officers havo.no op-;. port-unities to make money iu business, and considering the few there are, and the littte • expense it would consequently be to tb*.-'.V country, it does not appear to be too much to suggest that a retiring allowance, ao :; cording to scale, should bo granted them* . .-" The Commandant finds, generally. speaking, an earnest desire evinced throughout. -, the defence forces, to.adopt those means requisite for efficiency. Tier© ex-

ists, however, some serious obstacles to this desirable end. One is the system of election of officers, and the other the difficulty in many instances of men obtaining leave from their employers. Regarding the first, the General is not aware of any institution, civil or military, where this practice pertains, and ho is aware that wherever in military life it lias been tried, it has been a complete f failure. The system places lx>th officers and men in a false petition, and is utterly subversive of discipline. Through it, too, are lost to the colony the services of many men who Mould make excellent, officers, • -but who will naturally not serve under the conditions. The second disability is also ii grave ono, and unless some scheme to _meet jr. can be formulated, it will very < eeriously affect volunteering in Sew '/.<<■■ [land. It is even doing so now. There seem to bo two alternatives to meet this case—either the country mu.-t be prepared to remunerate the employer for the loss of the employee's services or the Militia 'Act must, be put in forte for, say, a week annually. He fully appreciates the employer's arguments, but unless men are trained they cannot become efficient, and the country will find itself paying for an article of little value to it. When war comes the loss will far outweigh any inconveniences that might be occasioned now. Although an improvement in discipline lias been effected, much still requires to be done to enable the Commandant to report it as satisfactory. Unless a satisfactory discipline can be*established, the force is a i corpse, and tho question of its retention should be considered, as such a corpse is of little or no value to the State. Political influence, is only too often sought and accorded, and the existence of partisanship is in cases evident. Every facility is given for the representation of any matter, and such representations receive every consideration. Those, too, who lend themselves to methods proscribed by regulations seriously retard the establishment of discipline, and "do much to undermine the efficiency of the force. Partisanship also has a most pernicious influence on the well-being of the force, and those who have it hi their , power to discourage it must be held responsible where it occurs.