THE DEFENCE BILL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 683, 7 December 1909, Page 8

THE DEFENCE BILL.

' COMMENTS ON ITS MAIN FEATURES. IBj Telcgraph-Spcclal .Correspondent) ' Christchurch, Deoember 1. .; . Colonel of .the. Lyttelton Navols, 'to. a.i'Tr^",-reporter'on'.the-Defence ; -Bill, criticised some of ite.features, though on f ; i the ; whole ;he . regarded, it , aa' excellent. , Refer-!t'-ringlto ,;the-"ago:ilimit;':.for: Territorials,' ,as it jI: i would - affect. the. Ordnanco ; Battalion,: he said i, that if all,the men .over 30 years of-, age were swept away, it would mean that his corps ;t alone.'would-sloso ;70 per, cent, of its -officers, t every man of whom had had over eight years'; "jV eemce/ tho.'periods ranging -up to 25 and. 32 ' years. • It was impossible to' have young men m the-special branchos of: the service. When ■it was 'taken : info : that '.soino. of ; t'bis rmen' had. to thro-w' into - the breach -of the V ; guns r7olbiJ':.loolK,- : 'and: 2101b. shells, it would i ( readily bo recognised, that big, stalwart men : --were needed. .The officers in on ordnance bat-. talion ..must bei 1 men' .of S mature years, ivho. have ; had special training, for it was no good asking ' i;- grown .men to. be': dominated; by young .-officers -:i(f who;have very'little".idea-of v garrison,artillery, ' field artillery, or the engineering branches. He n;,thought;the ordnance .branches should ,be left :it'ihtact, as. it had; taken ..years to bring the com- .; s, panics, u^to,their present standard of efficiency - which, it would roadily. be: admitted, was good. .; j: -Hs..wa's.'pleascd'.to see that, there was;a:'sugS, ; gestioh';:to .increase the." Permanent Force,: for- : it- was only; through : that force that the . Whole I-.: of the Territorial Army in tho first placo could :,|fcbe':traihed..;- They.;mu^t:have,specialists to train gpecialists, and it would be futile to start with ;]i;'a riot of:.-comparatively':unti'aincd nbn-coinmis; -Si aionod' officers. Ho considered !that, in each conii'.force \of. , ..at , ',least; froiu 1 .; 80 to: 100 , men ghould .be established for that purpose. ;'J'r : .:The .success; of tho scheme,- continued Colonel :Cooper, depends to a yery 'large Extent on ■ the ilf;C(jmmahdant, ;niid; that officer should 'be'an lmpenal .man, and ono who is '.beyond the' influ-, '/■s:ence .of . anybody :but the House; of, Representatives, so-.that lie can fearlessly and conscien- ; tiously carry out his duties.'- • ii. lle was delighted to seo-tho clause: dealing i: with .the employers,*,apd< trnstedi that- it would v-ij-be . carried inits • .entirety, : for he • had -often -found it . extremely diflicult to persuade' em- .! ploy.ers to give the men leave of, abscnce. - The ! j- privato employers,: however, :wero not tho worst ii eifondors in this respect, and personally he had ] found tho Dominion Government-the stumbling j &lock. Both tho Post Office, and Railway De.tanrtment had, time aftor. time, refused to let :4he men off, and two years ago the troublo ho:ieame so acute that.he decided not,to,enrol any | : men employed iin those ;branchea;.of, ; tho -Civil - Bervice in any, .corps-UEder -hia'. command.