THE MINISTER'S REPLY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2693, 12 February 1916, Page 3

THE MINISTER'S REPLY

GRANTING OF COMMISSIONS THE HANMER CASES Mr. Hobeu's article was submitted last night to the Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Alien), wfio replied as follows to a number of the points raised "With reference to the Hanmer trouble, it is stated than the men were summarily discharged without even being given a ticket to take them to Christchurch, the nearest city. I cannot conceive that to be. correct, because invariably when we discharge men we give them free passes to their homes. But, in addition, we give them three weeks' leave on full pay after their last appearance before the Medical Board, and at the end of this period they are either discharged and provided with a suit of mufti, and sent to their homes, or they go into camp for service again. Thai? is all done at our expense. Commissions. ''I have already dealt with the matter of commissions, but I am quite prepared to deal with it again. The question of granting commissions to men who have already joined the Expeditionary Force has received every consideration at our hands. As I said before, it is not possible for us in New Zealand to seJect men from among the returned soldiers for commissions without consulting the general officer commanding in Egypt. He must consiJer —and we must back him up in that consideration —the whole of the forces under his command. He has the right, by the way, to appoint officers on the field without examination, to replace fifty per cent, of the casualties. Wo have now arranged to receive in New Zealand applications for commissions from returned soldiers as soon ab Uicy get back into camp. Thfcy cannot y? back into camp until they are medically fit, and it is obvious one cannot givo commissions to men who are not medically fit. The applications from returned soldiers are submitted to Gentra! Godley at tho front, and he is asked to select six men every month, and these will receive commisiio'is in .the Reinforcements. We have nWo asked General Godley to nominate live men per month for commissions in tho Imperial Army. These applications must bo sent' to him direct. "Because a man has seen service in the trenches does not necessarily qualify him for a commission. An officer requires a considerable amount 1 of training, and that training wo are giving him in New Zealand. There arc classes for non-commissioned officers, who start work two months before their unit is mobilised. They go through this two months of special training, and tlioy subsequently under-, go a further four months' training with their unit. Some of them then sit for commissions, others go to the front, while some are_ detained for additional training, taking their departure subsequently with other units. "We cannot exclude from commissions men who still remain in New Zealand, and it is not fair to say that men who are . going now with commissions are not competent. Our information is that they i are competent, and we have given them as good, a training as time would permit. ; It is a fair c\eal when we givo to tlie returned soldiers a certain number of i commissions with the. Reinforcements I every month/ Besides, the soTciier with i the Expeditionary Forces lias an oppor- < trinity of getting commissions which the . men iiere have not. He has 'the oppori trinity provided by the_ replacing of 50 t per cent, of the casualties. It may be > that some regiments have not had a • large number of men selected from their ' ranks for commissions, but tho matter ' must be left to the judgment of the : officer commanding at tho front. Other regiments have apparently had more ' than their share. i New Zealand Hospital. ' v "There are some references in the • article to the New Zealand Hospital. ■ I had heard no complaint until I _ read 5 these references about the administra--5 tion of this hospital. On the contrary, ' ever since the New Zealand staff of r medical men and nurses have been " there, the reports havo been to the ■ effect that tho hospital is being excel--5 lentlv conducted. "We appointed Major I Byam, an Imperial R.A.M.C. officer, 3 for attachment to our hospitals, ana 3 my information is that he is an excel- • lent officer-and doing splendid work. e "As regards the equipment of the s convalescents, there may have been r some shortage at the start, but I have i. no reason to suspect any shortage now. ■- As a matter of fact, I understand the s our equipment was sent to Gal- ■- lipoli, but this has been made up now. r With every transport which goes to n bring wounded wo send full equipment, II and if there is not sufficient then equipment is placed- on hoard as soon as the y transport reaches New Zealand waters, d Every man (as the Returned Soldiers' r- Handbook will show) has to sign a card d that he has in his possession two unii- forms, two pairs of boots* underclothit ing, and so forth. i, "The university men and the public l- school men —to touch upon another point )f raised in the article—have their chance [e with the others. In our democratic l- army commissions aro open to tlioso x who are competent." id '