THE TUNNELLING COMPANY

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 45, 21 February 1917, Page 4

THE TUNNELLING COMPANY

A RECORD IN FRANCE.

CIVIL ENGINEERS AND THE WAR.

The little^, use being, made of tho special qualifications of civil engineers in the military forces was referred to by Mr. R. 'W. Holmes (Engineer-in-Chief to tho Public Works Departnienit) last night, in his address as retiring president of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers.; He said that, out of fifty enlistments, apart from, the special Tunnelling Company, which absorbed eleven, only eiglit had been utilised byNew Zealand and four by the British Government, in position's for which their civil training had specially qualified them. The remaining 26, or more than half, are' serving in the infantry or artillery. ' "As showing the advantages to b« gained by placing men in those arms of the military forces for which .their civil training particularly qualifies them, he went on to say, " Hie. records of performances by the ■ Tunnelling Company. are unique. This company Wa3 formed principally of miners, with a proportion of men used to earthwork,, and officered by civil engineers with mining and tunnelling experjence. Its duties consist of shaft-sinking and driving headings or galleries under tli« enemy's linns for. the purpose of either direct or counter mining. For some time past the company has held the record ior tho whole Brutish Army in France in: quantity of/ work done. This is a performance of which New Zealand may be justly proud. One may safely venture to express the opinion that the, performances of the field engineer companies would have, been improved if they had beenofficered and manned in a similar way. "It is somewhat remarkable that bo little has been reported of the perform' ances of the Engineers and Artillery— practically nothing' as regards the former and very little as regards the latter. One might reasonably enquire as to the reason for this neglect. The first news published _of the Tunnelling •Company appeared. in the ■ press recently, and for this we are indebted' to Lord Northcliff."- ' : ■