DEFENCE AMENDMENT BILL

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9172, 12 October 1915, Page 7

DEFENCE AMENDMENT BILL

MINISTER FOB DEFENCE CKI- ; TICI3ED. , On the" motion for the second rreadinir *g(( the' J><tfonoo Amendment Bill . wr ■Francis 801 l explained that it provided Sot the oxtonmon of war penmens to men who -wore disabled In New Zealand be'fore leaving for the front. The Hon. J. Barr (Canterbury) refcmrkod that in connection with the wax !the general public had taken the load ijmd the Government, had logged j IThiS provision instead of being forced} X n the Minister for Defence should hove.; ; teen included in the original bill. The i niotakee in connection with Trentham, i amp had beam oostly to the manhood of; ' he country, and indicated maladminte-. imtiaa. The locality wa# unsuitable for A camp, it being swampy with a cloud Werally hanging over it. Those at the Ihoad'o? affairs had not risen, .to tho Acoasum. Whenever there waa anything; pf v '.oonsetfuience to be done blunders JWere made. ■ There hedl been large and expense. A special corrcsjpondont (had been eenfc to 'the front, .When the "man in the- street” knew there was no occasion for it, and when, ■fee had proved.of no.use he.had not been, recalled. ' Whore was the occasion for labelling one contingent Lord liverpool’s Own,'so «e to create a feeling of brtterpess between tho men? Who was consulted' about this matter? Why-not have been satisfied with the name* of the provincial districts of tho Dominion? It (Was too late now 1 to remedy this matter, and the evils resulting from the Trenhham muddle were Irremediable. Surely the Minister for Defence having foiled haembors had a rigbt to criticise him. Sir Francis Bell: "You we abusing, 3>ot criticising, him." j Mr Barr:* "The pian-.could not pise fto the occasion. It was not hia nature.” ’if he wanted to abuse the. Minister ha ■ jhad'plinty of ground for doing so. .The .Minister . had shown himself incapable / .of rising, to the necessities of tho bpcaIflon. Tho - National Government had 'jfcot behaved in a dignified, manner, or. .the/- would- not he at that time disona- ■ tdng trivial measures. . . 1 The Hon. W, D, H. BoilUo (Mari-: ,-ho rough) foiled to see any j us ti ft cation /for the sweeping condemnation Indulged in. The Minister fop Defence and )iis staff had' done thuir best in baffling (Argent circumstances. The same blun, Pers made here hod occurred- in the Old ■ Half-Jones (Wellington) 'was sorry to have to differ from Mr 'Barr on the present occasion.' Considering that 37.000, men had been, sent -away from New Zealand in -a compara- - .(lively short, space of time the Dominion hod not done badly in connection iprlth the war. Thera was always trouble -with military camps. No one could 1 Reasonably complain of the setting up,, yof tho camp at Trontham. There appeared to be nothing wrong with the lAite. What had occurred some months (ago waa duo to such a largo number ■Jh men being sent into camp at tho ■jtne time. ; What had occurred in New Zealand was' nothing as compared to ‘.the tronbles that had arisen in Australia and oh Salisbury Plain in the Old {.Country, whore in two months ninety SCauadian# died ' of' pneumonia. The [Minister for Defence .could, not ho held Responsible for all details.- Carping criticism wb» now out of place. Criticism thould not bo indulged In.-unless some Uuggettioa of improvement , could bo 'Made. So far as Lord Liverpool’s Own ■was concerned, . what was there in, -a hame? Tho men. would . fight just as '(well under one name as hnother. In'oroMed pension* had been agreed to by '.the Minister.; _ - The Hon. J. T. Paul (O^ago); * Tho ''House forced that on him. ’ , Sir William Hall-Jonesi .‘‘But the Minister had the good sense to accept ■ xbe advice which' waa tendered him.'* : The Hon. C. H. Milli (Wellington) Hailed, to eoo arty .justification for _, the Aloioua attach; made on the Minister. (Trying ilmes bad been passed through ■and now when the two parties' in tho other chamber had joined.hands it was little late 1 to indulge in statements ■which were tantamount to an -abusive attack on tho whole Cabinet, New Zealand had not been singular in the comp 'troubles which had been experienced. It was not manly to have so spoken of Dio Minister when ho was not present to defend himself, i The Hon. It. Moore (Canterbury) regretted the tirade of abuse indulged in. ]pn reflection Mr Barr would regret it. Tf it had not' been, for the Minister for Defence the Dominion would not have ' been so well prepared and . our men ' i would not have been supplied with tho Canadian rifle. A. few mistake* had -'rtainlr been made, but they were oomo to the Empire. Mistakes always would -do in, exceptional circumstances. >*•" '■ ; astonished that at this stage Mr Sould 'have come forward with ’ . looßed-for ertiioism. If he had .T rig to suggest why did ho not earlier in the session. 1 The Minisj ... e« mote entitled to'commendation ♦’•an censure. < The Hon. T. MaoCSibbon (Otago) roarked that recriminations should not '' npw take the place of suggestions made at tho proper time. The Minister had shown foresight when ha informed the Imperial authorities that 8000 men would fee easily forthcoming from tho Commonwealth. Tho only thing he (Mr MaoCibbon) regretted was that conscription bad not been provided for in connection with the National Begistration Bill. Tho Deduce Department should be applaud- , jed for their efiorte, and it should be ’’recognised that the mistakes made at Trontham were incidental- to a want' of knowledge. There woo nothing wrong in the title given to the Liverpool regiment. At -Home- there were King’s Own, tho Queen’s Own, and the Black

Watch, which were well favoured regiments- . Sir Francis Bell said it was far tooi late to enter into a discussion concerning defence matters. Ho only wished to say of Mr Allen that ho was glad to have been associated with him. as a' Minister- Ho was a man who had. devoted himself day and night to the service of the country. Only those immediately' associated - with 'him. Knew ot ..the tremendous responsibilities he had. undertaken. He. had . shown no obstinacy, and readily" given his . attention to reasonable criticism' prepared to carry out any improvement .that could, be demonstrated. Mr Mills was wrong in suggesting that a Minister siiould not be attacked because he was not present. It was the right of any member to criticise the administration of the Government, ■ . a The motion for the second, reading ot the bill was then agreed to, and it was subsequently passed through its . final' stages. . , ...■■ ■■ ■■ - ■■■ ■