TOLD TO THE WELLINGTON SAVAGES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 28 June 1911, Page 2

TOLD TO THE WELLINGTON SAVAGES

FACTS ABOUT DEPKN-CR. SPRl'K'lt BY \IA.l()li .(!!•: XKI >'A Ti (IODLKY. .Major-General A. .1". Godler. C.8.. t.'oiiiiM.'iinlaiii of tin 1 New Zealand Forces, and several members of the Cenornl Statt.' at Headquarters, were the- gnosis -of flic Wellington Savage Club's "Coronation Night'' korcro at the Club Room, Masonic Hall, on Saturday evening, and, in res-pon.se to an invitation to say a few words about military matters, the General gave an interesting flavoured with a spice of humour, as befit ten '*ha occasion, on the present state of flu; development of our citizen army. tli' was more than pleased, he remarked, with the Coronation Review at Newtown Park on Thursday Just. Thts troops- had only had one- rehearsal together; one or to things were pointed out and at once rectified, in his, opinion the review would have done credit to any outside country, and the next one would be as well done as by the troops at Home. They had made a good start with the new defence scheme by sending JO lads to the. Military College in Australia.. He had had a chat with the young men before they left, and he felt sure that under General Bridges (who was a personal friend of hi.s). the Commandant of the Australian Military the New Zealand cadets will receive a first->class military training, which would enable them to return to New Zealand to take up the duties of officers. The examination of next year's candidates would, he added, be held in connection with the matriculation examinations in December next, and papers on the -subject would be distributed shortly to all schools and colleges. OFFICERS FOE CAMBERLEY. In a reference to the sending of New Zealand officers to an Imperial £3taff College for light study, General Godley remarked that there were four candidates in the Dominion for the forthcoming- examination for entrance to the Staff College. One vacancy at Camberley was assured, and it was hoped that possibly another might be given at either Camberley or Quetta. Major M'Donald. Captain liichardson' and Captain 'Che-sney, of the New Zealand Staff Corps, and Captain Gardner, of the R.N Z.A., are the candidates. This, he said, was very good., It was too much to expect that they would all pass or even any of them would first shot, but from these it was hoped some would qualify for training at the staff colleges at Home or in India, as Colonel Chaytor had. and a s Colonel Bauchop was now doing.

THE PROBATIONARY OFFICERS. "The period of probation for the new officers and non-commissioned officers of the permanent staff is Bearing eompeltion." . continued the 'General, "and it is hoped from the reports received of t'nem, and from what I have seen of their that '.here will not be more than one or two eases* in which the Government will not be glad to confirm their appointments. Practically all the officers and most o* the non-commission-ed officers are New Zealanders, and I shall never wish to have a better Jot of men under.'py command." He had now travelled the whole of New Zealand, and he felt that the public were beginning to get a clearer idea a s to what the new defence scheme meant. Everywhere he had been he had been shown the utmost courtesy and consideration, which he deeply appreciated. The registration, had now been com" pleted. The medical examination will commence this week, as soon as a sufficient number of record books have been issued. The training is to be, as far a. s possible, universal, so there will be few rejections o n medical grounds, and it is hoped that many weaklings will benefit by it.

RIFLE CLUB MEN".

"We hope," he said, "that ail men, after they have completed their territorial service at the age of 25. or their reserve service at the age of 30, will join rifle clubs and remain in them till the age of 55. It is hoped by this means to-form a second voluntary reserve from the rifle elubs, who will be expected, in return for pertain, concessions granted by the Government, to carry out an annual course of musketry prescribed by the military -authorities. At first they had made the age 45, but had found everyone in jNTew Zealand to be so young at 45 that they made it 50:; again, there was 'comment from 'youths' over that age, who wished to keep up their shooting- so, it . was finally fixed at 55. What he-' wouldlike to impress upon the rifle clubs was the necessity, of going: in .more for service shootings-difficult service shooting under service conditions,. He did not wish them to give up the bull's-eye altogether, but the line of greatest value was service shooting. By building up the forces in the manner outlined by the scheme, New Zealand would have a citizen army sufficiently strong and elfficient to make any nation think twice about tackling it.'' . . . ... TRAINING STARTS IN SEPTEMBER-.

The be ita-aiiied by, competent instructors: throughout, the ; Dominion.- •■ It-awash not i clear yet exactly how -this would be accomplished-, but every outlying township and village, and even ,-the stations would, be visited.:by. instrue-., tors, and -somehow or other all would be brought into . camp once a year. Some of the sparsely-settled districts,! such "a s those, in the vicinity of North Cape and the mountainous parts of Otago and the south-western fiords, had been exempted' from duty. What he-now wished to bring about Was a good understanding between the army authorities and employers of labour. They did not wish to be.hard on anyone.—he felt that all classes lenew -that—and it would bo his endeavour to carry out the scheme of organisin<r Ne\v Zealand's army with a minimum" of discomfort and inconvenience both to employer and employee. They "ho.ped.-to, have the work, of registration .completed ..by August.' and .to. make a start with the training work in September.. • Some, of.; the- officers and non-commissioned officers coming from Home a3 instructors'had arrived" and-the rest were expected at the end of the month

thing he was going to try and arrange ya s an alliance between

the British regiments which served in New Zealand and the regiments now being formed here. He was sure that the old regiments at Home "would welcome the idea, which would be an agreeable bond of sentiment between tlie succssors- of those who had fough* in New Zealand and those who were in readiness to do so should the occasion arise. Artillery was another interesting point. Our field artillery guns were "■as- little use as a headache." he said. One of the new quiehrfirers would silence the lot in about a ■miinnte and a half. Thev were rectifying that by importing 12 of the latest iSpounder quick-firers, some new Maxims, and full equipment. Some of these would soon be on. the water, and he hoped that they would receive them all by the end of the year. Then, they would be ready for everyone who liked'to come along. He was more than ever convinced that the right Hues were being adopted here, and that ere long. New Zealand would have a citizen army that would be a pattern to the whole world.—"Dominion."