FRONTIERSMEN AND WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16035, 29 September 1915, Page 4

FRONTIERSMEN AND WAR.

500 OFFER FOR SERVICE. SEPARATE UNIT DESIRED. [B* TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL COIOrESPOXDEXT.] Wellixgtox, Tuesday. The New Zealand section of the Legion or Frontiersmen has offered the Government a body of 500 men, fully uniformed, equipped, and trained for service abroad. The offer -was made in the House of Representatives this afternoon by Mr. J. A. Young, who said that the New Zealand Frontiersmen made a similar offer early in the war. When it was not accepted they enlisted in considerable numbers in various units. The men, however, had been trained together. They were acquainted with arts and handicrafts which were useful on active service, and there was a strong bond of comradeship between them. They were therefore very anxious to go to the front as one unit and it was suggested that they would be more useful as one unit than scattered throughout several units. A body of frontiersmen, under their own officers, had been accepted by the Imperial, authorities and sent on active service in East Africa. In reply, the Minister for Defence, the Hon. J. Allen, thanked the legion for its generous offer. An offer, he said, had been made in the early stages of the war, and at that time the Government could not see its way to accept it. Members of the legion had been invited to join the forces individually, and something like 1200 did so. These men rendered very valuable service, owing to their experience, in stiffening up the bodies of men that had gone away. They were an admirable lot of men, "and the Govern" ment wanted them all to enlist. But he could not say jnst then if they could be accepted as a unit with the uniform they desired. Offers of individual units were becoming not uncommon. That afternoon he had had a deputation from the Scotchmen who wanted to provide a Scotch regiment. "I suppose," said Mr. Allen, " in the course of' the week I shall have an offer from the Irishmen, and then the Englishmen, and, perhaps, from the Welshmen, through my hon. friend from Christchurch. I should prefer that men should register in the ordinary way and make our armv a national one. However, I will consult with the general officer commanding and reply more definitely later."