"A PHANTOM FORCE."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1287, 16 November 1911, Page 4

"A PHANTOM FORCE."

FOR OUR DEFENCE. CHRISTCHURCH CRITICISM. In ii special article entitled "A Phantum Army." the Clirislcliurch "Evening News"' (tfiJs with the jire.rclil position of (lie Territorials and Hie defence system. "The volunteer force," state* the writer, "went out after years of baffling lor "defiiuile recognition from the lowers that be The Territorial farce which came in was a livelv infant for a day or two, ami then faded' awav. It is now just about as intangible «» a spectre. There-are now no parados, no enforcement oi Ino P "'- and realties set out in the Defence Act, and really no Territorial force.

Waiting for the Elections. "It is not easy to get at; facts ahd figures, but sonic inquiries made by a member of the 'Evening .News stall go to -how that tlio Dominion has now no defence l'orco worthy of tho name. » is common knowledge Hint all daylight parades of Territorials have boon P'Jflt- ■ poncd until January next. The elections are ill December. It is also common knowledge that parades of Territorials wcrecallcd, and thai the musters were so inadequate as to be. ridiculous. Tho men who were registered were- posted to companies, the "complement Of each company being about one hundred.'-Tho company parades were fairlv welt attended for one or two nights, but tho number on parade dwindled to ten- or twenty instead of ono hint-, drcd. Unwilling Territorials soon dropped to the fact that there would be no attempt at enforcement, and that up finis or penalties would be imposed. The Territorial force became a phantotn, and it is a question whether the phantom will be persuaded to clotho itself with bones and llesh after tho elections. It is only necessary to quote a few figures to show how tho Act was disregarded. On ono occasion COO men wero summoned-to attend a Saturday afternoon panicle, and 210 attended. Then 200 men were summoned to attend a -Thursday p;>railo, and .'lO rolled up. At another Thiirsdnv afternoon parade there were lO.mcsont instead of 200.

Disgusted Officers. "How do the officers, apart from those, on the Permanent. Staff, regard the position of affairs? There seems to bo only one feeling, and that is of disgust. _ They have lx>cn studying and endeavouring to fit themselves to take _ cbargo of companies, but tho companies are practically nou sunt. Men were posted to the companies, but tuo unwilling or indifferent Territorials soon found out that, ihey could defy authority with perfect immunity to As onoofficer put it, there was something ridiculous in going out to officer eight or nine men, when thcro should have been from 80 to 100 there. Another still hugs tin, hopo that tho new "year .will bring a change, and (hat the, .system will bo put on'ai proper footing and enforced. Still another says that it has-failed for the want of a bit of-firmness at the right time, and that all the firmness in the world in tho new year will not rctrievo tho failure. With tho notable-exception of one or two'companies, which were officered by. enthusiasts, aiid-had become imbued by enthusiasm, the evening parades, were a sad and sorry'sight. Even company parades, it is said, have now been cancelled. There is a big staff of permanent officers in the Canterbury district. Subsequent to tho adoption of the compulsory system, the' local defence office was enlarged and remodelled so as to provide accommodation for the newly-appointed experts. Thes<e officers expected to take up their practical .'instruction duties lorj ago, but they are still kicking their heels at clerical work. .. Of course, there is a vast amount' of clerical work to bo done. • The registration,, medical ■ exam-' ination, posting, ; and. all that" .sort of; thing, would, keep, an n'riny going./ But! that is practie'allynll the'anny Ihe'conhtry has got in the meantime. ■ The Dominion has a' largo 'number of high-paid imported officers in its service, and it was intended that these officers should teach tho young New Zealander how to shoot, march, and win battles. The young New Zealander is not Ixdng taught, and . tho experts are doing clerical work. They occasionally give the companies instruction in physical drill, but that is only an incident, it is said that in the country, where there is. not the noisy Socialistic and anti-militarist minority -which, distinguishes, tho city, tho system is. working better."