OUR DEFENCES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1745, 16 August 1905, Page 66

OUR DEFENCES.

GRIEVANCES OF VOLUNTEERB.

the fortifications .

criticism by members

The condition of the volunteer forces of the colony and defence matters generally formed the subject of debate in f»ha House of Representatives on the Bth insfc., when the Estimates were called on.

Mr James Allen, in admitting that a great deal had been done for the volunteer movement during the last few years, said there were matters causing irritation which might easily be removed. There were continual pin-pricks from the Defence Department, and dissatisfaction had been caused not only amongst officers, but amongst the men themselves. The Auckland Garrison 'Artillery—one of the finest companies in New Zealand —was to-day without a single officer. The Minister pf Defence, he was afraid, had so much to do that ihe oould not give that attention to volunteer details which was absolutely essential. In Auckland the whole of the officers of a •company had been placed under suspension because one of them had committed a breach of discipline, and it was four months before a e>ourt oi Inquiry dealt with the matter. He did not Jcnow whether a decision had been come to yet.

Mr Seddon: It is settled now. The officer second in command carried on during the suspension.

Mr Allen pointed out that all the officers of the Wellington Naval Artillery had resigned. These matters of detail should not be allowed to remain Undecided for such a lengthy period. Mr Seddon: The real cause was the Starting of a new company. Mr Allen mentioned the case of a gunner who was mjuieu whilst carrying a shell, and was refused capitation. The regulations were, in ius opinion, so rotten that the sooner they were amended the better. Mr Seddon: it was an omission on the part of the otticer commanding in not entering the man as sick. If he had done do, it would have been ail right.

Mr Allen: That is not the information I have got. Mr Seddon: I can’t give you better information Uian rroin «ne commandant.

Mr Allen said be would rather take the word of the omcer commandingIn this case tbe broken trine counted, iftgainst tbe gunner’s long service. in regard to tbe new regulations, if these were enforced, they would “kill” every garrison omcer in tne coiony m twelve months. Two companies he knew ol had applied for equipment, which was refused because tney were not up to the minimum strength. ihey might just as well say that a man should not get into the water before he court, swim, xjuo asked the minister of Defence to instil less red iUlo unt; TJnder-fck>Ci etary s O'ihce. ne complained of the action of the department in allowing to remain unmounted a gun' sent to Dunedin. Had the Minister ©oine to the conclusion that it was no use fortifying aucKkntl, Wellington, lijttelton, and Dunedin? Dunedin ought to be fortified, for it was tne first poit of call from Tasmania, and could be fortihed lnueu better than any Other port of the colony. Tie believed that far better remits count oe attained from tne expenditure on tne A.’lony’s defences than they got at tm present time, and trusted that when ta Ooanmandant's report was brought down it would be submitted to r-arnit-den t without so many expurgations by the Minister.

Mr Fowids, speaking of the Aucklan INaval Artillery Corps, which, he said, was formed in 1863, pointed out that the captain was p.aced nuer nil * 4ary arres. three weeks before any charge was brought against han, and the decision of the Court of Inquiry Was now giwen uuui 00x11-0 mourns nicer it had been arrived at. Hie ieeiing was almost unanimous amongst members 01 the corps tnat uie Uad been treated very unfamy, and the punishment in the case he had quoted was out of all proportion to the crime—even if the omcer had been culpable, which was doubtful. Limess something Was done to allay the sore, volunteering would fall to a low ebb in muckland.

Mr McLachlan objected to Mr James Allen using his position as a member of Parliament to criticise the service of which lie was an omcer, in view of the fact that some time ago an omcer of volunteers—'Captain h nher—was cashiered for criticising tbe neienoe Uepartment in tbe columns of a newspaper. Mr J. C. Thomson complained Uim a sergeant-majo. in the Southland district, who bad been incapacitated from further service by ibness, had been unfairly treated by the Government. His .engagement had been at onoe cancel ed, and no allowance m ide either to him or 'to his wife and children.

Mir Seddon: He is an Imperial officer.

Mr Thomson: The matter has caused general indignation throughout Southland. Mr Seddon: I understand that the salary is stiff being continued. Mr Thomson: I am glad to hear it; I did not. know of that.

Mr Baume put in a plea /or the permanent men engaged in testing ammunition. By reason of their occupation, these men were not promoted, and their skill and technical knowledge gained them no increase of wage.

Sir William Steward asked what was being done in regard to the men who were injured some time ago at Fort Ballance, Wellington? He hoped they were being treated liberally. Mr Rutherford urged that more assistance should be given to rifle clubs, especially in the matter of cheap ammunition.

Mr Buchanan also urged more encouragement to rifle clubs. They were looked upon as inferior bodies, and, as a rule, were slighted and snubbed in all directions. Mr Moss wanted to know how the volunteering spirit oould be expected to spread in face of the manner in which the veterans were treated.

Mr Hogg quoted a case of delay in the acceptance of offered volunteer services. A fine body of young bushmen in his district formed a rifle club two or three years ago, and applied that their services be accepted. They had received a sort of “ Yes-No ” answer from the department, and to another request through their representative in Parliament over three months ago, no reply at all had been received. Mr Seddon interjected that the question to be decided was whether the acceptance of the club’s services would interfere with a corps at Eketahuna. There had been a conflict of opinion, and be had asked for further evidence. After further debate, the Minister of Defence dealt with the complaints in detail. Mr Seddon said he accepted all that had been stated in the spirit in which it was intended, especially the le marks of the horn member for Bruce. If they could deal with all their questions in such a spirit it would, he fel; sure, be to their advantage, and in this instance he thought the discussion would be to the advantage of the volunteer movement in the colony. He believed, however, that after members had heard his explanations, they would entirely absolve him of the complaint of undue delay in dealing with the matters mentioned, for in some oases he had been to considerable trouble in the endeavour to obviate dissatisfaction, and to get things to work smoothly. Tim member for Bruce had put his finger upon the weak spot—the secretarial branch of the department. From the time the administrative or secretarial branch and the military branch had been separated there had been nothing but trouble, and his mind was made up, to bring all under one department. That, he thought, would remove some of the friction that had occurred. Under the present system a communication was sent in by an officer commanding a district. This went to the Commandant, then to the Under-Seoretary, then to the Minister, who in turn sent it back to the Undersecretary, and from him it went to the Commandant again. Sometimes there was a difference between them, and then the matter was further delayed. The Under-Secretary was the most careful man they had in the servioe, but it was the system that was at fault. Mr Allen: He is not generous enough in interpreting the regulations. Mr Seddon: He is very careful and conscientious, and I have very seldom found him in error. In regard to the Auckland case, he knew every phase of it. All the trouble started through the promotion of an officer. The promotion was not accepted in the spirit it ought to have been by the other officers, and the men were incited to insubordination, a condition of things that he deplored. In increasing the minimum establishment, he was acting at the instance of the oorps themselves. The minimum strength, however, was really not altered by the new regulations. As Defence Minister, all he wanted was a workable minimum; without that their companies would not be efficient. The present situation in regard to the Wellington Navals had not been brought about through any given question. There was one question above all others that had dominated the position, and might be held to be the cause of the friction, and it was one for which no Minister oould be held responsible. The Commandant had cons den ed there was necessity for another company, and he (Mr Seddon) recommended the formation of the company accordingly. The old corps felt that recruiting the new company affected their strength, but the friction might have been avoided if there had been a

consultation with respect to the matter. With reference to the case of the gunner alluded to by the member for Bruce, General Babington’s recommendation was: “This man should have been shown as sick, and he would then have been eligible for capitation.” The question now was whether the capitation should be allowed, and be was glad to say that it would be allowed. If, after inquiry, he found that companies’ minimum was too high, he would be happy to reduce it Replying to statements regarding harbour defence a it Dunedin, his advice had been that the defence of Auckland and Wellington should be first; and, if be had followed the advice of his experts, he would have removed some of the defences at Dunedin and Lyttelton, and transferred the material to Auckland and Wellington. However, he was very loth to dismantle the forts, or say that there should not be any defence at the two southern ports. He held views at variance with the experts, and he did not think much of our harbour defences. As for the plea from the member for Bruce that the plan of defence should be given to higher officers under those officers in charge of districts, if such a course was followed, the plan of defence would no longer be a secret, as it should be. He considered, however, that there should be more confidence amongst the higher officers, and be would impress upon the Commandant to as far as possible establish that confidence. He denied that any - hardship had been inflicted in connection with the case of the instructing ser-geant-major at When the officer —an Imperial officer —had become incapacitated, he went unon his Imperial Army pension, but his wife could receive no money to live upon in the meantime. To meet the position, the Government had continued paying the officer’s salary until the Imperial officials oould be communicated with. As for those who bad been injured at Fort Ballance, be had given instructions that liberal treatment should be accorded the men. The widow of one man who had been killed would be voted a sum of money, and the men who had been injured would be giVen other employment. In the meantime, the injured men were receiving their pay. It was his desire that the offioems of volunteers and the Defence Department should work together for the national good, and the good of all officers and men. As far as the naval oorps at Auckland and Wellington were concerned, he would meet them as far as he could.

Mr Stine has been appearing throughout Australia and in New Zealand in “Mama’s New Husband” and “Brown’s In Town,” delighting thousands of people. When asked how it was he kept in such fine condition physically he unhesitatingly said it was because he always made it a practice to take two or three of Dr Morse’s Indian Hoot Pills when he felt he was beginning to get out of sorts. He went on the principle that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. Mr Stine, in his letter, says:—“For months past I have been troubled with my Liver. My mother-in-law, in America—long before I came to Australia —recommended Dr Morse’s Indian Root Pills, which I tried, and I tell you honestly that after using them I feel like a different man. They aid digestion, cleanse the Stomach, and give tone to the entire system. I always have a bottle with me, and find them to be all you claim them to be. A pill or two taken onoe or twice a week regulates my system perfectly, producing sound sleep and elasticity of spirits. Yll may make whatever use of this you think fit. Yours very truly, Chas. J. Stine, Palace Theatre.’’ Many people think if some prominent man recommends a medicine it must he all right, but blood is the same in King and Kaiser. Prince and Peasant, Senator and Tramp. The medicine that will regulate the system of somebody will regulate the system of everybody. Dr Morse’s Indian Root Pills assist in the digestion and assimilation of food, cleansing the Stomach and driving poisonous humours out of the Blood, making it rich and red. They are a ipos’tive and permanent cure for all complaints arising from Stomach, Liver and Kidney trouble, and are a perfect Blood-purifier.