CITIZEN ARMY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 763, 11 March 1910, Page 8

CITIZEN ARMY

NEW SYSTEM CONSIDERED. BOARD' TO CHOOSE CAMP' AREAS. ';''■' AN IDEAL OP KIPLING. It is understood that at the conference of district cpmmandng officers,.'which, has been, held in Wellington during the last three, days' to consider .matters in connection with the new Defence Act, the following board was appointed to select two training, grounds, one in the North and one in the South Island:—Mr. W. C' Kensington, Under-Secretary for Lands, Mr. .L Strauchon, SurveyorGeneral, and Colonel Tusqn.': The question of dividing the Dominion into 55 military districts, according to Lord Kitchener's recommendation, was considered. It is understood that the division' will be carried out on the basis of the census to be taken early next-year. It- is proposed to. hold continuous camps .of instruction for five months at a time, and employers will be asked to let off such'of their employees as they can spare, say, for a fortnight at a time during the progress of the camps. In this way all the employees of a firm will be able to attend the camp in turn, and the longer men can stay the better. Men will bo paid a slight remuneration for their attendance in camp, as well as being found in rations, and' it is hoped that a ..spirit of enthusiasm will spring up throughout the community, and men who find themselves temporarily out. of work, or with employment slack, will put in a few weeks in camp while waiting for a busier time. ...

| ' "The Army of a Dream." 1 The limit of what might be hoped-for in connection with the new system of defence is pre-figured in Kipling's story, "The Army of a. Dream," published five year's ago. ' In Kipling's theory of an ideal system provision was made for "areas'," answering to the traintng grounds to be set apart in.New Zealand. ''There are two areas in Ireland," states "Boy" Bayley, one 'in Wales for hill work, a couple in Scotland, and a sort or parade-ground in the. Lake, District; but the ■ real -working Areas are in India, and' Australia," and •'so" on."" The linesman—defined as • "generally a townbird who'can't afford to be a volunteer" —"has to go into, camp in an Area for two. months, his first year, six months his seoond, and a month, the third. He gets 'about five bob a .week- the year round for that, and .for being on duty two days of the w ; eek, and for being liable to be ordered out to help the Guard in.a row." Inside.of Kipling's "areas" the men work under service conditions. Forces are pitted each' other, and the. penalty for defeat, is fine. . Likewise, the prospect. of winning fines from a /surprised or ambushed "enemy" -is a great stimulus to keenness. "There is' no peace, in a Military Area," says Bayley again. "If we'd.beaten him off or got away without losing anyone, we'd have been entitled to a.'dayVpay from every man engaged against us. But we didn't' He cut off fifty of ours, held 'em as prisoners for the regulation three days, and then sent in his bill—three days'? pay for each man taken. .... A fight which means that every man Jack of us may lose a week's pay isn't •• so damsham after all. It keeps the men Still,-in the long run, ifs like whist on a P. and'O.. It comes out fairly level if you,play.long 1 enough."-. . ' .

SCamp Training and Exchango. ■ •'■ ■ Kipling imagines - the ' public interest in and knowledge of manoeuvres to be so developed that schoolboys pit their military, brains against each other in rival forces, and an unknown, pedestrian is invoked by a small boy captain to decide per-fessionally" whether his opponent is outflanked—and does decide by military rules. A; system is forecasted which to some extent has. been provided for in the scheme laid down recently by the War Office. "An I.G. (Imperial Guard) corps exchanges one officer -every two years with a Canadian or Australian or African Guard. Corps. We've had a year of our Dove (an . officer from Canada), an. we. shall be sorry, to.. lose him. He humbles our insular pride." As regards canip training for mechanics and' tradesmen have the following:— they follow 'their trade '.while they're in the line?" I demanded. .... Why, not? How many well-paid artisans work more, than four days a week' anyhow?" : -, And for the constitution of the citizen army? \ ' .-" w f T ® E°t those league 'corps -I'was just talking about; and those studious corps that just scrape through their ten days pamp; and we've crack corps of nigttly-paid mechanics who can afford a two-months' 'beef (i.e., hoofing it on beef) in an interesting Area every other year; | and we've senior and junior.scientific corps of earnest boilermakers and •litters and engineers' who read papers on nign explosives"—and so forth, down to serai-genteel and'-hooligan corps." In Kipling s story 25,000' pitmen who happen to be, on strike go.into "areas" for training; while waiting for their employcapitulate: '-The pitman could afISJ? 7* lt .'??«'"*<« Wing fed and olothed.for nothing, besides having a chance of making head-money,- and his. strike-pay was going clear to his wife and family. ' . •. , .?*.». probable that the plan of sham hostilities with fines, dependent on them wil be incorporated in the New Zealand system. It is also expected that a not too elaborate uniform will be worn bv members of the general training diviEnd of the Conference. The conference which, presumably, has been considering these and like things ended its de iterations yesterday'. Lieu- : tenant, Colonel Wolfe (Auckland) ' and Lieutenant-Colonel: Smyth (Otago) leave „™i t ho " e ?' to : da y- Li6utenant-Col-one ..Joyce (Ne son) and Lieutenant-Col-onel. Hawkins (Christchnrch) took their departure.last night.