DRILL REGULATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 124, 23 April 1927, Page 14

DRILL REGULATION

EXTENSION OF CAMP PERIOD. CL JECTION FROM FEILDING. A ] rotest by the Feilding Chamber of C mmerce against the action of the I ifence Department in extending the d iration of the annual camps for terr..t< rials in the smaller centres from six d ys to nine provoked some discuss ic i at the monthly meeting yesterda. of the Palmerston North Chamber o Commerce. “A the latter end of last year,” gtatec the Feilding body, “the Defence Dep a tment amended the regulations gover ling drill instruction for territoria ), and substituted three extra days n camp for the evening and halfday ] arades. Territorials had already been required to spend six days in camp annually, so that employers will now be deprived of the services of those of their employees who are territori ds for about ten days each year for ailitary purposes. Sly chamber lias ;aken objection to this amendmetil of the regulations, partly becaus< it has apparently been done by Ordc --in-Council and not by Parliament and principally because it puts the ’ -hole burden of the inconvenience attaining to compulsory military training: >n the employers. We think it fair hat part of the drill period should be t iken in the employees’ time, the emp lyer already suffering inconvenience through having employees absent for i week for the mam camp each yen We shall be glad if you will supj irt us in a protest to tho Minister of ] lefence against the extension of the lamp period and in our request that the evening parades be revei'ted to.”

A the request of the president, Mr M. V.. Eliott, Lt.-Colonel Whyte, of the local headquarters staff, attended the meeting and gave members some info mation concerning the regulation wlri< h was the subject of the protest. It was much better from the efficierc; point of view, he stated, to hold a n ne day camp than to hold a six dry one with the evening and half-day par des, and, further, it enabled expoo es to be cut down. Sports bodies, he lentioned, had always been against the Saturday half-day. parades; in the win er time the drills interfered with pi a, ers taking part in football, while lr :he summer there was the same d .fl lulty in regard to cricket. Under tho e circumstances, the sports bodies wel omed the reduction of half-day pai ides. It was with the object of kae >ing within the Defence vote that the amendment had been brought ate it. The change, however, only appli< 1 to the smaller towns; in tho big con ;res, including Palmerston North, the territorials would still have to do tile r parades, with only six days in car p. Tire department was not going to •ontiniiQ sending instructors to the sn 11 towns for parades one night a ue k. Musketry parades the departme it would endeavour to stage betiV' en the football and cricket seasons. Nr e days in concentrated training we e better than six in camp, plus the ev< ning parades. The secretary (Mr W. McKenzie) coi imented that employers had been ii< mvenienced by the Defence Dej a tment so arranging the six day ca: ips that their employees lost two coi secutive Saturdays.

i 'olonel Whyte expressed the opinion th: t it would be quite possible for the tie lartment to start the camps halfire i through one week and finish in th middle of tho next week, and ill reby prevent inconvenience to em]il< vers. .’he chairman voiced the thanks of tli meeting to Colonel Whyte for his ox ilanation and that gentleman therei] 3n retired. ‘I don’t think ive need take any nc ion regarding Feilding’s letter,” at ted Mr Eliott. Che secretary: Palmerston North In s to look after its suburbs. ‘Are you referring to Feilding?” as ;ed the chairman. Mr McKenzie did not reply. ft was thereupon decided to draw tl i attention of tlie Defence Departm uit to the inconvenience that empl iyers suffered through losing, for tl i six day camps, the services of tl 3ir employees for two consecutive S; turdays. Feilding’s letter was then formally rc :eived, and the meeting passed on to ct asideration of the next business.