THE TERRITORIAL FORCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 137, 13 June 1910, Page 2

THE TERRITORIAL FORCE.

In addressing the officers and non-com-missioned officers of the Auckland Garrieon Artillery last week, Captain Richardson, Chief Instructor of Garrison and Field Artillery, said that the only difficulty about Lord Kitchener's defence scheme, after a force of 20,000 has been established was: What was to bo done with the rest of the young men of the Dominion. About 3500 men would be taken each year, while there were, roughly, 7000 available. In many of the outcountry districts, spaisely populated, there was a great number of men whom it was impoesible to get at to train as those in the cities could be. This would, he felt, be one of the sources of exemption from service with the territorials, and together with tiiose like school teachers, and certain branches of the Government service, who would not be available in war-time, this would solve the diculty of having a large number of young men over, and the result would be that every young man available would be trained. The territorials must have efficiency, and to attain this they must first have plenty of home training. The home training we were cairying on in New Zealand was to his mind ideal, especially in the case of the garrison artillery, who were training with the guns, and on the very spot they would occupy in time of trouble. Many of the corps had made themselves highly efficient, but individual efficiency was' no-t everything. They must have collective efficiency. Hitherto they had trained in company camps, if these were not abolished he thought they should be followed by brigade camps and if these were not abolished he thought they should be followed by brigade camps. In the past this collective efficiency had been rather neglected. They had, if he might so pui it, attached more importance to class-firing than ,to battle practice. He would ask them' to "think territorially." fie felt they could make the new scheme a very much better one than the volunteer system, but they must start well, and, above all, they must have the support of the public and employers.