DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 972, 12 November 1910, Page 12

DEFENCE NOTES.

' [Edited By Echelon.] With Lord Kitchener's emphatic reminder to keep politics out' of our new army still ringing in our ears, tho following comment which appeared in i recent issue of "Vanity Fair" concerning attacks made on tho British Territorial Force by certain London newspapers may serve to remind us that criticism which is purely destructive is not criticism at all. Our new army will no doubt be constantly under criticism, and so long as that criticism is fair and constructive it will be helpful. Said "Vanity Fair":— "The whole is a most shameful business. It is quite obvious that any voluntary schcme depends for its success upon the goodwill of the public, and that, therefore, whatever its intrinsic merits, its fate can be determined by the attitude of the 'very few journals who control public. opinion in England. If those journals choose, for party reasons, or merely for sensational eifect, perpetually to discourage and deride our officers and men, they will inevitably end up by 'dishing* the force altogether, and that is what they have evidently set out to do. No arguments have been too inconsistent and no misrepresentation too gross to find place. in this unprincipled and unpatriotic campaign. Our men are engaged in sedentary occupations, and are therefore unable to do much in tho way of marching until a few weeks on the roads have made their feet hard; therefore, Territorials are no use. (The same is true of the reservists, who must form the bulk of any mobilised, Continental or British army. But no matter: the Territorials are no use.) There have been about twenty cases of real disobedience in the training of over two hundred thousand'men: therefore the Territorial army is no use. (The percentage is immeasurably larger in any regular or conscript army, but no matter: the Territorials are no use, they must be so.) Our men sleep in the firing line when no enemy is in sight: therefore, the Territorials'are no use. (No matter that it is their duty to sleep when no enemy is in sight, and that in time of war men have been actually court-martialled for not doing so: the Territorials are no use.) And so on and so. on."

-There recently appeared in the London papers, and, if I mistake not, in our cable news, some reference to a projected Naval and Military Tournament of Empire, which was to tour England and overseas dominions during the next three years, with the object of giving a fillip to recruiting. According to the latest file of the "Military Mail," it was stated that the promoters were "almost- all of them military men, many of them of high standing, and with names that are a household word." They proposed,' we learn, to hand over the whole of the proceeds, less working expenses, to the erection of a permanent institution in London to be known as the Veteran's Home, and it was estimated.that .£200,000 would be raised as a result of three years' work at Home and in the colonies. ,

It was also stated that - some fifty officers and 550 men, the latter drawn 1 entirely from the Army Beserve, would be employed on generous terms. i • A covering letter, enclosing a prospectus of the scheme, 6tates that "this huge enterprise has been undertaken with the full approval of and much valuable assistance from, the War Office." . ; . The prospectus itself was even more specific. It contained the following passage:—-. >

"Primarily the enterprise was conceived as a business undertaking, but its recruiting possibilities were, on consideration, -found, to be so enormous, it was decided to lay'the idea'before a committee of military experts, with a view to securing the co-operation of tho Government. This was done,,and so satisfied were the committee with the results of their investigation, they, in addition ■to raising the'necessary . capital, so developed the scheme, on military lines, that they were able to submit the details for the consideration of the heads of the War Department,, who have signified their entire approval of the scheme! and have since volunteered practical,.;assistance with guns,'and' facilities for transport." _ - It was further added that -Col. A. G. Bnra, of the Indian Army, formerly Bri-gadier-in-Charire of the Nnernur Brigade, and now in England on lurlough, will head the new command." Tho War Office, on the appearance of the various newspaper articles, issued the follnwinsr official communinue:— "The Secretary of the War. Office begs to state that the'projected enterprise of a Naval and Military Tournament of Eranire, announcements of. which have recently appeared in the newsnapers, has not been undertnken with the authority of 'V Army . Council, who have had before them no particulars which could warrant the grant. of their official approval to the scheme." There may, of course, bo sottie explanation of what, on the face of it, must nnuear to be a somewhat rash ■ assumption of War Office willingness to assist the proposal.

A private of the Sit Lancashire Fusiliers (Territorial Force), was recently summoned at Manchester for disobeying a lawful order. The defendant was ordered by n.sergeant to carry a.box of ammunition, and refused. He that lie was not asleep to do the duty in a civil manner,' and was not told tho penalty lie would incur by 4 refusing. The stipendiary magistrates said, that as this was the first case the fine would only he ss. and costs, but any future case would probably bo treated more severely. Rather cuttingly, the "Military Mail" thus refers to the incident.—"The latest .excuse offered • by a recalcitrant Territorial for refusal to obey a military command is that the order was 'not given in a civil manner/ Presumably -the sergeant omitj ted to remove his cap and say Please. The offender also pleaded he was not told the penalty he would incurby refusing. The idea'of an. irate and m\K-u----worried sergeant quelling a mutinous private bv Teading long extracts from the Territorial Regulations as to the dire consequences of disobeying an orqer to .shift a box of ammunition is delightful. \ T e are beginning to think that prosecuting men of'this kind is conferring upon them a wholly fictitious importance. Is L horo no means of quietly intimating to L hem that the Fotce would be p]ad tc be relieved of their' somewhat embarrassing presence? It would be better off. without them."