INSPECTING DOMINION FORCES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 35, 11 February 1914, Page 7

INSPECTING DOMINION FORCES.

General Sir lan Hamilton, InspectorGeneral of Oversea. Forces, interviewed at Perth, said tho primary object of his visit was to inspect the military forces of the Commonwealth and New Zealand, the Governments of which were acting in co-operation. In his capacity of In-spector-General he had to inspect all British forces stationed throughout the world, such as the garrisons stationed at Hongkong, West Indies, and the Mediterranean. His appointment as InspectorGeneral of Oversea Forces, however, was the outcome of the Imperial Conference, which was held in London a year after he had succeeded Lord Kitchener. At that conference, the general explained, the Premiers assembled agreed that in the event of any dominions which they represented desiring an inspection made of their forces, the Inspector-General of the British Forces should be required to do so. "In arriving at that decision," he said, "I think they were partly moved with the idea that it would be a good thing to have the one officer inspecting all the dominion's forces in order that they might become standardised, so to speak. In this way the equipment and general efficiency of the various forces of the Empire will be btought more into line and standardised. That, in my opinion, is one of the chiel essentials. "For example, what is the use of you and I serving together in the field, when your rifle is of a different pattern to mine, and takes smaller ammunition or larger? The appointment of one inspector for the wliole of the Oversea Forces will undoubtedly obviate this, I hay? inspected every single British garrison in the world overseas, in addition to which I have inspected the forces in the Union of Africa and the Dominion of Canada. 1 only concluded my inspection of Canada seven months ago, and during the seven weeks I was there I travelled no less than 15,000 miles, mostly by train. This, I understand, constitutes a record, even for Canadians. During my stay in Australia it is my intention to examine everything that the authorities choose to bring under my notice. My master, -of course, will be the Minister for Defence, and my earnest hope is that my advice will be of value to the Commonwealth and the Empire generally."