THE COST OF DEFENCE

Evening Star, Issue 15910, 16 September 1915, Page 9

THE COST OF DEFENCE

* toAlSnr PERTINENT QUESTIONS. • ministerial explanations. , , tFaou. Ona Parliambntartßkpohteh.] ' ; September 16. Ine House of Representatives went into Domnuttoo of Supply yesterday afternoon • jo consider .the estimates of expenditure the Defence Department for the year «ndmg March 31, 1916, the sum being £492,265; The amount spent last year was £499,137. ■ Full opportunity was taken by mombera to discuss many ques- , -tinned ’connected with ." the raising . and , training and transporting of troops here -there. In the discussion there were allegations of costly blunders. t WAS IT A COSTLY BLUNDER? Mr T. M. Wilford asked how much . money was sprint on painting the troopships, whether any other country in the '. world painting them, and what was - the object in painting them. He understood that the cost of the painting and : repainting would be about £15,000 or £20,000. , The Hon. J. Allen replied: There was no doubt the painting of the first transports had caused some expense, but it jwae done with good intention, and in the hurry of getting the troops away. It was don© without; his knowledge, and before he knew about it Mr. Wi'ford: How much will it cost? Mr .Allen: I don’t know, but I shall submit a report on the cost. 'Mr Wilford said the Minister’s reply .was unsatisfactory. The Minister had said it had been wrong to paint the ships, and he could not tell them how

much the cost was. “T ask the House ' and the country,”. said Mr Wilford, “whether the Minister’s answer was satis- . ■ factory.” It is, his duty to tell the country what the cost was, and it is the duty of the House not to pass the Estimates until _ he does. • ' The Minister: “ The Estimates have milling to do with it ” Mr Wilford: “The amount of taxes from non-alcoholic drinks (£20,000) wiil not be sufficient to pay for this ridiculous scheme.” He was not going to accept an . answer of that kind. The Minister had been ~in charge of finance aft well as Defence at the time this absolute waste of money took place. How in the name of heaven the gentleman, at the head of the Defence Department allowed the , country to squander £20,000 in this way he-did-not know. But he wanted to know; he was entitled, and the country was entitled to know. ' .Mr McGallum: “Don’t scold too much.” (Laughter.) At a; later stage the Minister informed Mr; Witty that the cost of painting the transports was £6,773, while the cost of repainting them was, so far, £3,330. The-ships had been painted for a purpose —to put them on a footing with the Royal Navy. Because the ships had been painted-the'Admiralty color they were the first to get through the Suez' Canal. ’ The ships had been painted grey'in order to safeguard t the lives of the troops . ' ' A member: “ Absolute nonsense.” AGGRIEVED DOCTORS.

Dr Newman also said he understood the Government had filled up quite a -number of medical positions at the camp by people who had: had practically nothing to do with military service, anil this was looked upon as a hardship by members of the profession. Some of the loal practitioners had studied military hygiene. It also seemed -an extraordinary thing that the Minister should-. bring a high-salaried doctor from England to look after the camp when there were experienced men in New Zealand who knew all about hygiene. ■ It was very discouraging to the people interested. . The Minister said that it had been a very difficult matter to deal with the medical question. They had only had a small supply on their list of medical officers. Those who first volunteered for service were first -, considered, and then .. those who were ih the Territorials.; As to - General Henderson,-, he hoped, the .Housewould agree it was the wisest thing to do. He only wished they had had Sur-geon-general Henderson much earlier. DRAFT CAMPS IMRRACTICABLE. • Mr Poole said a,great many people still viewed Trentham camp with a certain amount of fear in regard to matters of health. He advocated the establishment of draft camps, where men could be trained and be thoroughly -free'from sickness before being drafted into the main body. Hon. J. Allen replied that the draft ’ camps were good in theory, but difficult The reinforcement drafts had to be kept np, and the men had only , four months in which to train. THE SAMOAN COMPLAINTS.

Mr Dickson (Parnell) asked if anv inquiry was to be made into the statements made, against Colonel Logan, Commandant of the New Zealand Force which occupied Samoa last year. Certain allegations had beeft made, and the men had held public meetings after their return to New Zealand. The Minister said that, as far as Colonel Logan was concerned, no definite charge had been made' against him which justified an inquiry. ThepDefence Department and the Defence Minister would not shirk any inquiry. It might be that Colonel Logan, in the course of his remarks, had said things that would have been better left unsaid, but many men did that. As far as he (the Minister) knew, Colonel Logan’s administration, of Samoa had been particularly good.; ( He had had very great difficulties with the natives and in other directions. Prom reports that had recently reached him he (the Minister) was satisfied that Colonel Logan had done his work 1 very satisfactorily, and he believed that the country would eventually recognise this. v COLONEL PURDY’S POSITION.

Mr Pearce asked what steps were going to be taken in the matter of Colonel Purdv,

After tracing the circumstances of Col- - onel VaJintine’s to the con- , trol Of military hospitals, and Colonel Purdy s appointment to take charge of the medical work in connection with the Territorials and the transports, the Minister said that one of the specific questions subfPirri Trentham Commission was Who-was to blame?” ahd they had not answered that question. General Henderson. was the new director of medical services, and until he had looked around and expressed an opinion ha (the Minister) thought he was wise to hold his hand. COLONEL GIBBON DEFENDED. Dr Thacker, with a vehemence that - abused members, said : “If the Minister » ft* lo Hoti. James Allert) wants to know* who been the cause of the epidemic at Trentham it is plain in the report of the Commission. A, colonel in charge of the Headquarters Staff at the end of May or the beginning of . June allowed the camp to go up from 3,000 to 7,000, and at the same time he knew that a virulent epidemic. of measles , existed - in the camp. He drafted wholesale men into camp, and that man’s .name is Colonel Gibbon. I tell it to the Minister, and if there" is anyone higher at fault for the epidemic in the camp it is the Minister himself.” Replying later to this the Minister (the Hon. J, Allen) said that reference Was made, tp Colonel Gibbon in a derogatory way. “I cannot allow that to piss without my 1 protest against it. He has done great service to this country. • (Hear, hear.) I kn6w of no. English officer, and that is i great thing to sav, who has - done the same service: for -New Zealand as Colonel Gibbon. He is a most selfsacrificing tflan. Who - has coirlo t6 this country. Ho has no -interest in money matters or anything of that kind, aiid his only desire is to do his duty, and do it 1 Well. I, resent" anything tO’tllC effect that •, he has not done-his duty.’* ’ (Hear, hear.) TRENTHAM HOSPITAL. The Minister, replying to, several members, stated that as fit as the bad cases ht Trentham were concerned, the new hospital was now ready to receive them, and it Wig htpgd ihat the Racing Club’s £uildings would be available for the Spring .Meptiflg, Ha daid there no evidence

; a further epidemic threatened ;at Trentham, ■ and no efirious cases, but only measles, were being experienced there at present. He was doing everything he could to secure the _ co-operation of the British Medical Association with the members of which there had unfortunately been some misunderstanding.' For this he could not find hiibself to blame. - CAPTAIN HENDERSON’S CASE. Mr Wilford asked what was the Minister going to do about. Captain Henderson, who had been found • guilty of taking small suras of money he had no right to take. He urged that Captain Henderson should be given a chance. He personally knew of instances in which Captain Henderson had saved the country thousands of pounds in freight rates, and ho had persuaded the shipping companies to reduce their shipping ■ rates for, the transports 20s- per ton on huge amounts. Captain Henderson had received testimonials from General Godley, and he was willing to go to Gallipoli to retrieve his name. It ws up to the Government to give him a chance. The Hon. Mr Allen replied that Captain Henderson had got into trouble, which no one regretted more than he did, and he would like to be in a position to do something for him. The Solicitor-General had advised, however, that Captain Henderson had . tendered ■ his resignation, and that it had been accepted.

MISUNDERSTOOD INSTRUCTIONS. Mr Hudson brought under the Minister’s 'notice four men 'who hid r-Mumed-wounded by the Tahiti, and who had only been provided with steerage passages .to Nelson. . . The Minister said he could not conceive that these men had only been provided with steerage passages. The hon. gentleman. must .have been misinformed.

Mr Hudson (holding up a document): “Here is the receipt for the extra money paid for their saloon passages,” Mr Allen: Then the officers must have misunderstood their instructions!

An Hon. Member; Discharge them. It has been the same story all through. The vote for the whole Class was passed at 11.15 p.m.