RANGIORA CAMP.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1460, 7 June 1912, Page 5

RANGIORA CAMP.

« MILITARY INQUIRY " PROHIBITION LEAGUE CHARIiLS" THE SAME DEADLOCK. EVIDENCE OF GOOD CONDUCT. ■ S is«oei atlo n i ~v';. : - : . Christcburcli, June fl. ■ |: this morning : i)efor<i' Colonel S; Heard of the lit)penal Oenoi'al v Stn?l' (chai'Mr;;i;,i), ■With him wereCoKmcl Caitfplicll aiitl jia* ;or„ Ritchie. To-day'is session was devoted-. j- ; > • ln inquiry into the- allegations made ..by' the Christchureh Prohibition leoguo ■with wgsrd to drinking at tlio Territorialcamp held at Hangiora at Easter. Mr. M'Combs appeared on behalf of the "Prohibition League. ■'■;■■ 4-Beforo proceeding to inquire into tho allegations of drinking at the Hangiora cautp the chaH-man announced that' evi- . uonco in Kupport of and against the al•.Jogations had been taken -in camera- v-es-t, ? ,"t r l oßiplelon. 'Ho then rend exroots* from the Prohibition loaeuo'x lot.tei'fto (loneral Godley making allegations m wl »jh ,'t V,T|S stated that., the son' of :Mc|l-twb farmer hnd beeii in a tent ■at tho.cpinp <11 llangiora where two drunken .youths came m late «t night to sleep., : I hey .were ejected, and later' a bigger : '}o"th staggered in and others'in the tent had: iO-sit up practically all. night with .the drunken one.

Why Witnesses Would Not' Appear, e,lßirman Ml '- M'Comlu ...Uittd. tli,it. the league was in the canw as it had been in the inquiry .JeeardiiiK.the Icmpleton camp. Witnesses ' whoj-had' made statements to the .10 tlulomtof Inquiry unless forced ta :do so.,', : A; number of them were in b u «. ness .m- Jjaneiora, and feared th« consp--5T llC ff '°T Si v "»S cv ''!enee publicly. Neither the League nor the Court, could nub:poena. them to appear -■■ . ■W'-Ui regard to'the farmer whose s otl is alleged to hare been put in n tent drunken youths at Hie camo r'rrei- 6 1 ("'f h ° ,ivwl "t fialtS •■ Cu:el Vv a'Miit eleven miles out of Jiangiora. Ha informed the Court Hint fl "# s prepared to obtain a written «tate-'"l-H ' thr V W rmer and dence ■ 1 0 acce r't i'hat- as cvi-

Tlic Flangiora Camp Commander. p oi , tne officer commanding .the Rangiora camp, stated Hint th" Priw hhitwn League fin a loiter piibllslwd in the -newspapers) had made charges which & Wro flf» fc W 1 # r*?™ } ™ ■rjfii «(*„ i plt;nl.v.<)£ witnesses to to i n &Vt. ng ?? s lmt, owimr Hk« Af filio.lwl.no.t. been given im- , 9 Of , U!O '"niiiiT, ho wns no t Iwnat ,.,,j to produce them that day. ! ?"; Major Loach said that,* on the day. that ho. regiment went into camp, owino In ont h J„T n * n , ¥° Wdiffei? out places and lack ,tu organisation. it wa « impossible to pet much, done on tlie tijx't "ffht.. On that night there was«o»na-d lint nine, military police had wvH ™ sentries, Witness W jrften strict 0 " doiks to tlic men tnai-thov worn o |- lowrf to- (wont of their, tents aft,*. P l, 'ir u an >» niftflc <111 • insn^cli-jii ttil i the adjutant each iwrht after '"light* wt tp «e ttoffljl wa-. dniot. On - first- niß-ht a f..«- larrikins came camp nftrr "lights out." headed l,v a ■ritorial. playing a violin. The fwritonal ' ■was finite sober.. As far as-could 1.-e'W town" larrikins went; back, into 'Were Hotelkeepers Asked Not !e Scivn Soldiers? -hi ■; Mr M'Combs asked Major T?<-.ar!, he bad tound it neeos>,ary io -o to tlinlioie keepers in Bandore, mm .-;sk ihem ' not to supply territorials with .-drink Major Loarh rlenied this. and -ia W.. in "<?l to s !; ; ,y l nn-I?:-life 1 8 MoT to ft newspaper? .iiv'; hls.

,J!° C ?. lon .°' ■ Camplieli The •h, i |olke.-.nrr hnd snfornifd (list he thought that if was.-the "siM £C, T #1, - r i , ,v ,tness - however nad-.not-afkwi' any hotelkeener not to km-vo men' .with Mr, M tombs had probably ■ i W n font using a;newspaper report'of .intw j-iow wotli witness j n whioh.iho' had - stated that h-oieikwners had decided not: to serve any territorial with 'Iriiii-. ■

.. A Witness Who "Could Not say," Mi 4 tllnt 1"? iiad been ifl His.office 111 the main street of Randomuntil about ]j p.m. on the nwhftlicit the re,2im»nc went info camp. Number* „f , ? ">«> *«» wandering about the si recta. t.?;Vt VUI "« in " 3 ' o, "i r wa >"' tho "° l! Jiot'ai!.' t alb offensive. A number were under tho mfluenne of liquor. Those nndor (ha influence of nquc-r vera not wearing t.nflcrins, however, and, consequent!**,- wik ness 0011 Id not state definite!',- Hint tw were temtorials. . •

! :p Camp Orderly Saw Noihi/ifl. . ' Cecil Russell, orderly at. the Random, camn, nul tlmi lie.had been on duh- en the first night. General leave had Wn aP'i.H- tM ! eclcck i "Tattoo" .-winded !, . a '" . ,;»»<•. , but there « a , ' 'j i 1 011-e-jil. As far .ns ivitntvft , could remember, the men all returned abom Iho same lime-somewhere about ton n clock. Lights out" was at 10.15. Witness had veiled each tent that night,-and i here had 'icon '.no I rouble with.'dnv ,nf ' i lie men. He ;iad also been engaged in going round the lines till late .that ni»ht. retiring about 12.15, and, had. there fcnv nn\ i.i'uiii>lo (siicli ns drunken men (x'iiig. ejected from a tent) witness could nut have failed to see or hear-it-■ No drink ' hiowlcT* ' n ' ll C > IUI P to-witness's

ASHBURTON CAMP,

C tl \I?L i;s; BUT LITTU-; ELSE." ■With, regard.,to the Ashburion ramtti "I I™"' Andrews' rend an extract from tha Ashbiirton (iuardwiir' of (ho morning ™ '? r i rogimoiit pitchcd. .camp. . This articio alleged obscene language am! misconduct oil the part o!' certa.in Territorials. It was alleged that a police official luul mado a .statement io a "Onardian" reporter;'. Ho (witness) had letters from chaplains and officers at the camp, vei'ut|«j ?uc'n allegations. 0:i (ho first, night ut t.lio camp had iit.ird inen apparciilj !y .going ■ away from'-tiio camp, and im j';wonl. ; (n'j the captain of tlso guard and asked 'if lie had Iseard -anvthing of the noise. That officer reported that a nuiiiber of civilians had ccimc- dou-n Iho i-oad\from sly-grog shop. Tiitso civilians had i--er-■sisled .in rHtiempting to enter the camp, 1 and-: it- had been uecestftry to turn tho guard out io drivo them away. On iho following night a similar occiiiTonce -had happened in f.lio towmdiip. ]t, had Ix-on .definitely proved, that none of Iho men -wcro meiiibers on tlio camp streugt'h,' though a, number had been out on leavo .that night. - I: Colonel Heard remarked that tho diffi» ! cully in this casr- was tho «uno ns in llin' .Rangiora .inquiry—namely thai the meii' 'wcro a.II iu niufti, and consequently, could not bo distinguished from civilians. '■ The liev. F.. Fox stated that ho had" visited the Ashbiirton Terrilarial camp, and-hiid spell! s.evcral days and nights -.with the'men.' As. ffli' as that eamp concerned, witness could slate that ihcro was absolutely no drunkenness ainong.-t tho men. Their.-.behsvionr was excellent. .'Witness believed''thai drink could. Ih> ob.. .tained in .Asliburton township' if sho men .desired it.. ■ i"

s.Tho finding of-the Court will. bo mK. miUwl'to General Godlcv as soon ns t)io evidenco: has been carefully gone through, nml a decision arrived at. '.. ,: - >