LOCAL CAMPS

Evening Star, Issue 16049, 28 February 1916, Page 7

LOCAL CAMPS

MINISTER'S FINAL DICTUM. CANNOT HAVE LOCAL CONTROL. In an interview with a. 'News' representative at Christ-church on Saturday, the Hon. James Allen, Minister ot Defence, had something to ear on the question of local camps. "What"l want the public to understand (he said) is this: That the task of the Minister of Defence is to train the men enlisting efficiently, and send them away a credit to their country. We have had over 18 months' experience of our training scheme, and I unnesitatingly say that of my own knowledge, besides from reports coming to me, that this scheme is entirely successful, and that it depends upon the concentration of effort. This can oniy be. secured by the Minister ot Defence having under his own personal observation and being in close touch with not only the Commandant of the Forces and the Chief of Staff, but with the Training Staff itself. In addition to that, it is absolutely essential that the Chief of th© General Training Staff should be in a position to constantly see his training staff and the men in camp. The C'h.ei of the General Training Staff is living within a snort distance of Trent-ham Camp, and can get there within 10 minutes. He can get to Featherston within an hour and a half, and he has under his personal observation these great training camps in which there are 12,000 men. We have concentrated practically the whole of our staff there, and we can easily allocate them to their respective epheres of work. If we divide that staff up all over the country we shall have divided effort, and not the .same control as now, and I am certain we cannot have that efficiency which we now possess. I cannot impair that efficiency much as I would like to oblige those people who want local training camps. Apart altogether from that, the public do not realise the value of the prestige of Trentham, and though such has not yet been established at Featherston, it is being rapidly established there. The result of the prestige of the camp is that men go into camp, determined to keep up the standard of the camp. The camp influences them from day to day, and thus forms a valuable part of their training. Then We can have these great camps under the close ■ supervision of the Director of Medical Services in Wellington. He could not be in close touch with the men if the camps were in other parte of the Dominion. The provision of medicnl services and the training of medical men should be sup:rvi*?ed by the headof the medical service, who has been specially imported for the purpose from the* Ola Country. I have given some of the reasons whv I deem it to be impossible, if the Minister of Detente is to do his duty to the country, to spoil the present efforts by splitting up the control. I say to the people of Canterbury : Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to comply with some of their requests, but as' I cannot grant this icqiMst, may I ask them this: Instead of putting their efforts into local camps, wiL they concentrate- them upon the new recruiting scheme?"