MAORI CONTINGENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16169, 4 March 1916, Page 9

MAORI CONTINGENT.

SEPARATE UNIT DESIRED. GRIEVANCE ABOUT EXPENSES. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Gisborne, Friday. QoBSfrioNED to-day, Sir James Carroll said it was not clear what tho Minister meant when he said that the Maori force was not losing its identity and was not being mixed up with the ordinary New Zealand forces; yet he admitted that Maori platoons were being " mixed up" with other platoons. A platoon comprised about 60, and, on the Minister's own admission, the Maori contingent was being split up into sections like that and attached to different corps, because, as Mr. Allen further explained, it was thought they would fight better and be better looked after. The general desire of the Maoris was to be together, and to fight together, and still be alongside their pakeha comrades in the firing-line. The Maoris were not asking for any special treatment,' only to bo left intact, and anyone who knew anything about the Maori people knew that they would make an infinitely better fighting force if reconstituted on lines adopted when they first went into action and acquitted themselves with such honour to the race. Furthermore, the feeling that they were to bo assembled with their kith and kin over there would bo more encouraging to recruiting. It would convey a different feeling amongst the Maori people than the knowledge of tho prospect* of their being split up amongst the pakeha forces. Sir James wont on to refer to the necessity for better arrangements being made locally for the acceptance of Maori recruits, pointing out that some of tho Maoris who went away, oven with tho first contingent, had never been refunded the passage-money they had paid out of their own pockets to proceed to camp. Every facility should be given, and someone should be placed in authority in Gisborne to issue warrants for passenger fares to th» Maori training camp. Some of the Maoris who had left, only the other day, had had to pay their own travelling expenses to Auckland. This should not be so. There should be some arrangement whereby Maoris, as they volunteered, could be accepted and sent to camp, as many, tired of waiting, had drifted back into tli* country. MAORI REINFORCEMENTS. FOURTH DRAFT MOBILISING. The fourth Maori reinforcements are now being mobilised at Narrow Neck camp. Drafts of men aro going into camp daily, and at present the strength is 141 out of a total of approximately 300 required. Maori recruiting agents aro being employed in addition to the ordinary Defence Office system. The men now in camp have commenced training in real earnest. The day's syllabus includes physical drill before breakfast, three hours drill exclusive of spells, between 9 a.m. and 12.30 p.m., and a further three hours' drill, broken by spells, between 2 p.m. and' 5.30 p.m. Occasionally night exercises in open country are given. The Maoris, who arc as fino iv stamp generally as the earlier drafts, are worked very hard while on the parade ground, but they apparently, relish the training, even though most of tho marching done by the squads under the vigorous orders of the sergeaiit-instruc* tors is at the rate of 140 paces to tho minute. Further efforts aro to bo made to bring the draft up to full strength as early as possible in order that the training of all tho men may be equally efficient.