N.Z. TROOPS’ TRAINING

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 August 1941, Page 4

N.Z. TROOPS’ TRAINING

DISCUSSION IN HOUSE WELLINGTON, August 6. A comprehensive statement on weapon-training for the Armed Forces, Territorials, and National Reserve in the Dominion, was given by the Minister of Defence, Mr. F. Jones, in the course of his reply to a series of questions by Mr. F. W. Doidge (Nat. Tauranga). The Minister said tnat a total of over 3,400,000 rounds of .303 ammunition has been made available for the training of the Territorial Force and" National Reserve during the past training year, and, that, since the war started, over 66,000,000 have been expended by the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in training. Questions asked by Mr. Doidge included several touching on rifle shooting practice for Territorials at Waiouru, and for the National Reserve at Auckland. He also asked whether the Minister observed from evidence given at an inquiry into the death of a soldier accidentally killed in Miramar, Wellington, that deceased, although engaged on vital points’ duty, had no knowledge whatever of how to use a rifle. Also whether the Minister noticed a statement by Colonel Rowe that, while the standard of rifle shooting of our men overseas is now good, it was when they arrived in Egypt poor. Mr. Jones, replying, said that the weapon training was sb arranged that the men did not carry out range practices until they had passed certain tests. Moreover, if, on firing preliminary practices, they did not achieve a definite standard, they were sent back for further instruction. This was done to avoid the waste of ammunition.

Dealing witn the Miramar accident, the Minister said that the deceased was not a fully-trained soldier. But there was no evidence in the inquiry to the effect that deceased “had no knowledge whatsoever of how to use a rifle.” Nor was there the least suggestion that the accident was due to a lack of training of the deceased. In regard to views expressed by Colonel Rowe, the Minister said: “This officer has stated that the standard of rifle shooting of our men arriving in Egypt was not up to the standard required for active service. This was realised, and it was one of the reasons why the Government insisted upon—and received —the assurance that the New Zealand Division would not be employed on active service until it was fully trained, and equipped; and that no man would be sent into action until he reached a high degree of proficiency in the use of the rifle.” During discussion of the question, the Speaker, Mr. Barnard, intimated that, as he had stopped the notice of the question asked by Mr. Doidge from being broadcast, he intended to prohibit the broadcasting of the answer, and the discussion of it also be kept off the air. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Holland,- asked if the question and the reply might be published. The Acting-Prime Minister, Mr. Nash, said that he would respectfully submit that the Speaker had no power to rule that a certain type of question was fit for publication. The Speaker said that he had power to say what should or should not go over the air, but his duty ended there.

Mr. Doidge: Are you going to allow the newspapers to publish the Minister’s reply? Mr. Nash: Yos!

Replying to an interjection, Mr. Nash said that the Director of Publicity had taken a correct step to prevent a wrong inference being formed.

The House then discussed the printed reply. The discussion of Mr. Doidge’s question was not broadcasted.