LOCAL CAMPS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 17038, 13 December 1915, Page 6

LOCAL CAMPS.

Without being over-sanguine, it seems reasonable to believe that the movement in favour of local camps for recruits has made an important advance. The deputation of members of Parliament organised by l)r Thacker put the matter v»ry well before the Prime Minister on Saturday, mid Mr Massoy had With him the political and military heads of tho Defence Department. The agitation for Jccal camps is not confined to Canterbury, as tho Prime Minister and his colleague imi*t have realised when they discovered how representative of the Dominion was the gathering of members, which, by the way, would. have been considerably reinforced if'the meeting had not been organised rather hurriedly to suit Mr Massey's convenience. The numerous cogent argument's in favour of helping recruiting by tho means suggested appear to iiave been stated fully, freely and quite fairly. These arguments nay not be unanswerable, but we are b6und to say that up to the present the refusal has been bai»ed almost entirely upon negative grounds and the whole proposal has been too swecpingly vetoed. There is reason to believe that the fear of spending money has operated against a surrender to popular opinion on this matter. No doubt ij would add to tiie expense to pay nen immediately upon enlistment, but we ore sure thai, that is the right thing to do, and we are equally certain that the economy resulting from present methods is to a great extent imaginary. Money is wasted now, and precious time is lost, through the gulf that exists between the recruiting office and the training c.v.np. Men are enlisted, examined by doctor.-., passed as tit, and then are not secured for the Expeditionary Force. Many cases of thu Kind are known to the official and unofficial recruiting people, whose discouragement in tins particular direction has been quite serious and grievous. The country can well afford to put immediately on its pay sheet every man who is ready to offer himself for active service; indeed, as we have said before, the country cannot afford to lose a singlq one of these men. In this particular, whatever degree of opposition to meal camps has been due to a desiro for economy has, in our view, been ill-advised r.nd has not effected economy because it has lost the country soldiers. "We notice that Colonel Gibbon stated on Saturday that " what the authorities desire is to have the men under their control from the start. - ' "Well, that is precisely what they have not got at present and what they would get through the establishment of local camps. ' Under the existing methods the authorities in Christchurch may not exercise the slightest control over recruits, except by tho goodwill of the men. The drafts arc mobilised and sent to Wellington under no legal Obligation and no real sense of discipline, and if men who arc counted upon by the local Defence people, to make up the district quota choose to do so they can simply stay Away on the day fixed for proceeding to Trentham. Sometimes they do so stay away. The number of men available for the Eleventh Reinforcements, as a matter of fact, is appreciably short of the number passed and accepted during the last month. If the men were at once sworn in, paid and located in a camp they would feel that their services are required and appreciated. As it is, we are afraid that many a man has gained an opposite imprest-ion, and that probably accounts for more real loss than it actually represents, for impressions of the kind are apt to ba- ! come infectious. General Robin, we j are glad to observe, did not present on unyielding attitude towards the deputation. Ho admitted that there was something to be said in favour of "receiving" camps. This admission is a great point gained, in gratitude for which we can accept with equanimity the substitution in the military mind of the term "receiving" for " local." " It ought, however, to have been long ago dear to the authorities that there has been no desire to interfere' with the general scheme of training. We do not ask for a miniature Trentham, but simply for a place where a man willing to offer his life to his country may be received and made to

feel that his offer is promptly and gratefully accepted. The Prime Minister appears to have been impressed favourably by tho arguments of tho deputation and to have recognised its highly patriotic purpose. His promise to have the question thoroughly considered by the National Cabinet is as much as could be reasonably expected. Wo have hopes that tho combined wisdom of the Cabinet will prove equal to the occasion.