THE TERRITORIALS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11629, 10 May 1912, Page 6

THE TERRITORIALS.

DRINKING AT CAMPS

(Per Press Association.) ' Christchurch, May 9. \rispv out of the allegations made regarding d'i-uukennos.v at Tei tutorial camps the" officers of the Christchurch Prohibition League have addressed the following letter to the Hon. A. Ai. Alvers (Minister of Defence) : We arc enclosing a copv of a letter addressed to Genera] Goclley in which certain facts art; stated concerning drinking in connection' with Territorial camps. _ A\ c have no reason to believe that the. condition of affairs prevailing at the camps specified was any worse than that obtaining at other "camps; indeed,-know-ing the officers, we have every reason to believe that they were extremely solicitous for the welfare of those under them. The fact of the matter is that the camps shoukl not have been placed in the proximity- of hotels. When the Defence Bill was going through the House your predecessor in office.as Defence Minister promised definitely in reply to Mr Newman that- no camp would be established within five miles of an hotel. We think you will'agree with us that apart altogether from the moral aspect—from a, military and disciplinary standpoint —this is /necessary and desirable. In addition to this; we wish to urge strongly this aspect of the question : that the camps aie compulsory and' consist largely of mere boys, that parents arc compelled to sjehd their sons for military training; and that under these conditions they have a right to expect that the utmost care will do taken to preesrve from contamination their sons, who are at an age at which few boys have loarnedl fixed principles. In the letter to General Goclley instances are given of ' objectionable conduct on the part of Territorials at the Templeton and Rangiora camps, due to drinking." The letter concludes:— "With regard to the camps with which wo are more closely associated we have brought no charges of extensive drunkenness, and we' have recognised that'on our part and on that of some of the commanding officers there has been an earnest effort to stop all' drinking ; but our point is that so long as the sites of camps are chosen with disregard to the promise made by the late Minister of •Defence that no camps wotdd be held in close proximity to licensed; houses.- it is impossible to prevent a certain amount of drinking. Now as the Tern'forial camps do not consist of volunteers but ni;' voung la els. whose parents, arc- compelled by the law to send' their sons for military training, we think we make no extreme demand when we urge that the nromiso referred to should bo rigidly fulfilled."