RECRUITS GOING TO AUSTRALIA

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9095, 14 July 1915, Page 10

RECRUITS GOING TO AUSTRALIA

MINISTER’S STATEMENT ASSAILEDMr A, M. Myers (Auckland East) drew the attention of the Minister for Defence to a newspaper statement to the effect that New Zealanders were proceeding to Australia to enlist, because they conld not get to the- front quickly enough if they joined the New Zealand forces. In view of this situation he wished to ask the Minister whether he would consider the advisability of establishing other military camps, say, in Auckland and Canterbury, with a view to meeting all the possible demands for men. There were a number of excellent sites near Auckland city, especially that at One Tree Hill, which had already been offered to the Government by the Mayor of the city. The Hon. J. Allen said that it was true that some men had gone from New Zealand to Australia. The process of enlistment and training in Australia was entirely different from that adopted in New Zealand. The Dominion’s scheme was a well-thought-out one. which had the approval of Lord Kitchener and the Home authorities. The idea of the scheme was to maintain a regular and steady supply of reinforcements for the main body, which was a matter of great importance in' the present campaign. It was the aim of the authorities to keep the main body up to its original strength and gradually increase it. He hoped that the House would not endorse the idea that it was wrong to keep up a steady stream of reinforcements. He had received letter after letter from General Godley and General Birdwood asking him to maintain the present systemMr Myers: "What about Lord Kitchener’s appeal for more men?” Mr Allen: "What Lord Kitchener meant was that the supply of reinforcements was not being kept up. and he had therefore had to make si special appeal to get them.’’ In N«w Zealand there had bean-evolved a scheme which kept up a regular two-monthly stream of reinforcements. This scheme the department could carry ont if it was not interfered with, and he hoped that Jhe would not bo pressed to interfere with it. In this connection he had received

a valuable report from the Chief of the General Staff, which he would place upon the table of the House. Mr Myers: “The hon. gentleman has not answered the point I raised. The men who went to Australia desired to register at once.” Mr Allen: “Surely the hon. gentleman understands the scheme of enlistment?’’ Mr Myers: “Yes; better than you do.”

Mr Allen said that the Government desired every able-bodied man between' the ages of twenty and forty to register his name. He was warned not to give up his. employment until He was called upon. Mr Myers: "Exactly. The men are told that they may not be needed until the end of the year, and they do not want to wait so long. Otherwise how can you account for the paragraph? The men want to get into training without delay-” Mr Allen: "I am sorry to be called upon to make these things publicly known, but if there is going to be cackle like this—(Opposition dissent)—very well, I shall make them public.” Mr G. TV. Russell (Avon): "Well, don’t do anything foolish and then put the responsibility on us. If it had better not be said, don’t say it.’’ (Hear, hear.) Mr Allen: "It is nothing very serious.” The men who were going to Australia to enlist were men who had been invalided home from Egypt through their own fault. He would not agree to allow them to enlist again. Dr A. K. Newman (Wellington East); "Why not. if they are efficient?” Mr Allen said that as the Government had been put to a great deal of expense to train and equip them, send them to Egypt, and bring them back, he thought they ought to be punished. This he proposed to do by making them take their places in civil life again for a time. Many of these men did not wish to go back to their own districts, and they went to Australia and enlisted. Mr J. Payne (Grey Lynn): “These are not all the men who go to Australia." Mr Allen; "Oh! Not all.” Mr Myers: "I am glad you qualified that." Mr T. M. Wilford (Hutt): "YouTl be asked about that." Mr Allen; “Ths department will be willing to answer any question.” Mr J. Hanan (Invercargill)—(wearily): "Oh! Shift the camp.” Mr Allen (sharply): "Ton’ll hear any amount about the camp in a day or two.” "PAIN AND REGRET.” At a later stage Mr Allen Laid on the table of the House the report of the Chief of the General Staff dealing with recruiting’, and moved that it be printedMr G. W. Bussell (Avon) said that earlier in the day Air Myers had raised the question of the enlistment of New Zealanders in Australia, and the answer given by the Minister had been heard by the House with the utmost pain and sorrow. Tne reply would cause a great dhock throughout .the Dominion, arid would hay© a most damaging effect upon our young men seeking to enlist in Australia. .The Minister had said that a number of our young men who were keen to offer their services to the Empire were men who had returned lu New Zealand in a state'of health which rendered them deserving of punishment as they were suffering from a disease incurred by them through their own misconduct. The matter could not be left in this nos-tion. The charge was one which every young New Zealander in Australia would have to purge himself from.

Mr Wilford: “They are all suspect.” Mir Russell said the position could be viewed only with. grave alarm. The Minister must place on the table of the House a return showing the number of men who had offered to enlist, and who had been rejected, for this cause. There could only be a few of them. Many of the- men who had gone to Australia were very keen to serve, and were greatly disappointed that their services could not he accepted right away. They went •to ■ Australia because there they had a better chance of getting to the front soon. He had had numerous complaints from men in Auckland and Wellington regarding the delay in getting into camp. He was pained and sorry that the Minister in an unguarded moment had allowed this statement to go forth, and he hoped that a return would promptly be brought down showing - how many men had actually been rejected on the ground stated by himMr A. M- Myers (Auckland East) regretted the reply of the Minister, who had completely misunderstood the question. He read several newspaper extracts showing that - New Zealanders were enrolling in Australia because they could not get into camp quickly enough in the Dominion. He thought that it the Minister took into consideration the proposal to establish local camps, if even for preliminary training only, it would be a step in the right direction. The Minister had no justification for making the statement ho had made. Dr H. T. J. Thacker (Christchurch East) complained that the medical profession in the Dominion had received absolutely no recognition from the Government in connection with the organisation of the forces. Students who had been pushed through their final professional examination, at Dunedin three months before the ordinary time, and junior house surgeons at the hospitals had been sent to the front with our troops, whereas experienced surgeons—amongst them'some of the best men in their profession in the world—who were keen to serve, had had to pay their own passages Home and offer their service, to the authorities there. Our men were entitled to the best we could give them, and if the best New Zealand doctors and the best New Zealand nrrrees were to go to the front then theyehoulc be sent .to tend the soldiers of the Dominion (Hear, hear). He went on to blame the Minister for Defence for not establishing a hase hospitril minion long ago. He had the* own words to the effect that such hospital was not necessary, and that all thT<Sses of sickness from the camps could bo dealt with m the district hospitals- ’