THE FRONTIERSMEN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 176, 25 June 1938, Page 11

THE FRONTIERSMEN

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. NEW ZEALAND COMMAND. Opening. this morning, the annual conference of tho New Zealand Command of the Legion of. Frontiersmen was held throughout the day at the Empire Hall. Commandant J. C. Findlater (Hawera) is the commanding officer, and associated with him are Major W. Ricketts, D.C.M.' (Eltham) and Captain R. A. Warren (Palmerston North). Arrangements for the conference were in the hands of “N” Squadron (Manawatu). Captain J. E. H. Mewett, 0.8. E., M.C., and LieutenL. C. Merton, M.C, having charge. An attendance of about -200 was-. expected during the day, there being representation from Auckland in the north to Dunedin and the Gatlins River in the-south. CONFERENCE OPENING. At the opening of the conference' this morning a welcome was extended to the Mayor (Mr A. E. Mansford) by the Commandant, who said there was no body of men who had a keener sense of the fitness of things than the Legion of Frontiersmen. The speaker congratulated Mr Mansford on his reelection and commented that he and the other members of the City Council were serving the Empire, just as members of the Legion'served it in their particular'sphere. jfThe Mayor, returning thanks for tile welcome -and the expressions of goodwill pn his return as Mayor, said gratifying to him to find that anything he had been able to do, or accomplish, was looked on from . the wider aspect, as for the city and the Empire: He felt that every man who had the opportunity of local body service had that objective in view. Speaking on behalf of the citizens of Palmerston North the Mayor extended to the visiting Frontiersmen • a most warm welcome. In the short time in which the Legion had been established—since 1904 in Great .Britain and 1911 in New Zealand—it had built up a record of which ,any regiment;, organisation, or any body of men might well be proud. The offer made by the Legion to the New Zealand Government at the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 had been typical of it. While that offer had not been accepted by the Government of the day, the men, in the majority of cases, had enlisted in other units and a big percentage had given their lives for the Empire. On the cessation of hostilities the Legion’s motto had held good and its ideals had made for a renewal of strength. The speaker believed that the Legion was stronger to-day than ever. No finer spirit could be had by any body of men than to serve the Empire. It was a pity that that 6pirit was not more in evidence today because, with the fall of the British Empire, there might be the end . of civilisation as we knew it. 'The Legion of Frontiersmen had given . practical evidence cf that spirit of service by tbc-ir assistance to various local bodies, the Mayor continued. That was much appreciated, and the speaker thanked the Legion on behalf of the various local authorities. He also took the opportunity of thanking the local members of the Legion ..for the assistance they had given in this city at various functions and gatherings. * • ' ' Mr Mansford expressed the hope that tlie conference would be interesting and enjoyable and that the Legion j would go forward, gathering strength from week to week. He hoped that those attending the conference would go awny with, •such recollections that they would come back here at the first available opportunity. ' A welcome to the visitors from otliher squdarons was extended by Captain Mewett. He said tlie members of N. SguadroD were proud that Palmerston North had been chosen as the Venue of the conference. COUNTRY’S DEFENCE. In the course of the conference the Commandant pointed out that if New Zealand were worth £500,000,000, as the Government figures said it was, ’ then it was worth fighting for. In New Zealand there were 106 officers and 552 men on the staff of the Dei fence Department. That gave the nation one staff man to _ every 151 square miles. Territorials of all ranks numbered just over 8000 on the active list, giving one territorial to every 13 square miles, but as less than half the number had attended , camp this year 3000 had been written off on to the reserve, which had left one territorial to every 26 square miles. In Australia there was one partially trained territorial for every 100 square miles and one regular soldier for every 1800 square miles. In Great Britain, on the same system of computation, there would be 80 regular soldiers and 1200 territorials per square mile. It had been freely suggested that a division should be borrowed from Great Britain for Australia. That suggestion was ridiculous for, apart from the possibility of receiving a division with Europe in its present state, it would require 200.000 tons of shipping to bring the unit to Australia. -The elements of a mixed division would include 15.000 men and 900 motor vehicles, and the cost would he about £2,000,000 a year. General Sir Andrew Russell had put forward n scheme for the training of New Zealand youth on reaching the age of 18, the speaker continued. At this age every youth would be required to undergo a compulsory period of training but barrack accommodation, together with the necessarv instructors, would cost £/.(XJU,000, which sum was, at the present moment, better snent ? n . c< ? as K lin^ fence, although the principle outlined in the scheme was definitely sound. In Great Britain it was considered that 17 weeks, pins one week to allow toi iveather conditions, was sufficient to train the average infantry soldier the training occupying about five and abalf hours, daily and including educational instruction. On completion this neriod the recruit was cohered a fighting sold'er and could take his place in a battalion on a ' va V w‘ Some of the recruits in the N.Z.K.*.had not had this time for training before going overseas, but had yet made history.