DEFENCE POLICY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 118, 20 May 1914, Page 3

DEFENCE POLICY

MORE CAMP, LESS DRILL FOR RURAL TERRITORIALS BUT INSTRUCTORS MUST STILL TOUR. On 28th April The Post published an article containing a number of suggestions for altering the training conditions of the Territorial Force, particularly the backblocks Territorials. We are indebted to the Minister for Defence, Mr. James Allen, for the following comments, partly favourable and partly critical, which the Minister gave in an interview sought by a Post reporter :— CLAIMS FOR SENIOR CADETS. "With regard," he said, "to the substitution of increased annual encampment training for regular drills and parades in the- country districts, upon the genex-al principle of increasing tho camp time and diminishing tho weekly parades, or even the monthly parades, I am in agreement with what is written in the article, 'and we have already taken steps to increase the camp period for certain country corps from seven days to twelve daye, on from nine days to fqurteen days, including coming and going. There is a demand from the farming community to still further increase the camp period to twenty-one days, and to let the country Territorials off all evening parades j and that is now under consideration. But that will not do away with the necessity for non-commissioned officers, and sometimes officers, visiting the smaller drill centres, for this reason : Because we train not only Territorials but also Senior Cadets ; and here it is just as well to emphasise the fact that Senior Cadet training is to a very large extent an experiment not tried in other countries, and the purpose of it is to minimise, as far as we possibly can, the lengthy period of recruit training which is given in Switzerland and other countries that adopt the system of compulsory training. We hope, by training given during the Senior Cadet stage, and by physical drill during the time passed at the primary schools, to have the lads so far advanced when they come to the age of 18 and join the Territorials, that the recruit stage drill may be done away with. As far as one can gather, there is every evidence that we shall succeed in this experiment. "It is very essential that the Senior Cadet shall have his training, and, if wo are to .reach anything like the bulk of the community, we cannot peimit the Senior Cadet training, or even tho Territorial, to be confined to those who livein. the larger centres. We don't take the Senior Cadets into camp ; and, unless that were done, it would not to possible to abandon drill in local centres, unless we left out of our training scheme those who live in the country districts! Now, it is clear that such a system would not be national. Some of our very best material — that brought up in the country fresh air — would not be available to us if we confined ourselves to tho towns. I can't iiee, therefore, how wo can abandon the present system of sending non-commissioned officers to local centres for the purposes of the Senior Cadets and, in some instances, for Territorials as well. If they have to go for Senior Cadets, and if it is not taking tip too much of their time, they can go for Territorials also. TRAINING OF OFFICERS. ' " Thei'e is an argument — not raised -by the article — in favour of increasing camp time for the Territorial, especially where he is a backblocker. The argument is : It is of little use to drill a small number ot Territorial* in the outlying localities, as the nature ot the drill in such circumstances would not be what is desirable for the Territorial, who has had so much of that kind of training in tho Senior Cadet stage. It is of more use, from the , point of view of training, to get the Territorials together in larger numbers, not alone^ for tho training of the rank and file, but more especially for the training of the officers, and for the obvious advantage of contact between officers and rank and file, which contact is so essential for the fieldwork. It must be emphasised that the army of to-day, to be of any real use, must be one that can be moved in tho field, accompanied by its equipment, and yet be as unhampered as possible. " The statement in tho article that some city youths are not trained owing to the city units being up to their full strength needs confirmation. I don't know of such a thing 01 course thereare those who, having been passed as medically unfit, are not in the ranks of the trainers. Perlmps there may be moro of such in the towns than, in the country. It would be correct to say that in two or three years, when we have reached the maximum we desire to train (30,000) there will be a balance who will have to be dealt with otherwise. But 60 fai the number of those who have been left in tho general training section and not transferred to the Territorials must be few. When that stage arises there should be no discrimination between town and country, except, of course, the discrimination that comes from pickj^f_out those most serviceable to be trained as Territorials. The remainder would be in the general training section. The problem of the general tr&imng section is,, I think, still to be solved. PERMANENT CAMPS. "The article also argues that permanent camp sites would become cheaper centres of administration than anything possible under the existing policy, and seems to suggest that camp training should be continuous throughout the year. If it is meant by that that the individual could come to camp to be trained whenever he liked, I entirely disagree. The essence of our training scheme^ is to bring our forces into a condition in which we can utilise ifc for defence purposes if attacked. That can 'only bo done -by having them together in more or less large units, to accustom them to work together in the field, to allow the officers to get into sympathy and close contact with the men they havo to lead in war, and to permit the officers to have the training which is so essential— and so lacking in New Zealand—to enable them to lead and control their men in the field, and to utilise their local knowledge of the country to .the very best advantage. It must be made plain to everybody that drill-hall drill is of little or no use to the officer, except in so far as it causes contact with the men ; and it only provides a mere modicum of tne training that is essontial to produce soldiers that can, be utilised in the field. It is necessary, therefore, to bring units of tho men together, and not individual men, as is suggested by permanent camps and the men coining in just when they Jiko. "As to permanent sites for camps in lieu of tho present arrangement, the~re is something to be said for this. Against it is this : that what we are trying to do is to accustom the men to the conditions they would have to scirvo under in case of Avar. One of the conditions necessary in war is mobility ; the force must bo capable of being "moved fiom place to place as rapidly as possible, with all its impedimenta, food, and ammunition, cupplies. In Ikgiand the idea.

now is that soldiers going into training do so in war conditions. They are not oven supplied with tents, and they 11© out in the open and get accustomed to all the conditions of war. Ido not suggest that that is necessary here, but it is necessary that the men should be accustomed to the life in tho tent rather than in permanent barracks. And I notice that Sir lan Hamilton, in his report to Australia, laid emphasis an the fact that in peace time it is wise to accustom forces under training to the conditions of warfare ; and I quite agree with that opinion. Then, when war arrives, there is very little to be learned. But training in permanent barracks, followed by war, means that the men have to learn all about camp life and tentsand making the best of conditions. It is better to learn that in peace than in war. On the other hand, there is something to be said for permanent barracks, if we don't lose sight of the training 1 have just mentioned — the need of tent life and mobility. That iis a matter which will come under consideration, and we shall profit by our experience in coming to a conclusion on tins question." CARE OF ARMS AND CLOTHING The Minister added that the minor suggestions, including the better care of arms, etc., might have some weight. With permanent barracks, rifles and overcoats and uniforms could be more under the Defence Department's care; but he did not attach very much importance to this, because he believed that a man, if he was to become a really good soldier, must grow to like his rifle end uniform, just as a cricketer grew to love his cricket ball. Throwing his mind back to his school days, Mr. Allen remembered that the coach once advised him to take his cricket ball to bed with him ; and so it must be with the good soldier. "If he gets to love his rifle, as the best shots do now, ho will take care of it. In the early stages there have been some losses owing to want of care in looking after rifles, but I hops this will pass by. "As to the larger divisional camps, ' that is a matter for tho experts to advise. They have been tried this year for the first time in New Zealand, and while I am not prepared to say that they should be continued year by year, I think that every now and then it is wise to hold them so as to train the senior oificers in their work, and accustom the whole force to moving as a largo unit.'