THE DEFENCE FORCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2996, 16 August 1911, Page 6

THE DEFENCE FORCES.

By Sentry

One of the difficulties that will bo most acutely felt eo soon as the men enrolled are all posted and their training has been definitely commenced will undoubtedly be the lack of suitable drill areas and halls, io tide over the initial difficulties the local defence authorities have appuxmcr.ed the Otago and Southland Education Boards asking toi the use of the various schools and playgrounds for purposes of military training at times when they are not required 01 school purposes. On behalf of Ironed Territorials the Dunedin Fire Board has been asked for permission to use as a drill area the yard (situated behind the Town Hall) in which the members of the l ir© Brigade have been wont to practise. Arrangements have been made lor tne erection of artillery stables, quarters, ©to., for Invercargill on the old gaol site, tne area available being one acre and a-quarter. The Invercargill drill hall will remain as at present, and can be extended later on When the lease of the iron building in the rear falls in. , _ , , ~ The four staff officers of Cadets recently conferred in Wellington with Colonel Heard, Colonel. Burnett-Steuart, and Major Knox in reference to the training and organisation of the Cadets. It has been decided that for tho first year at least the training of the Cadets will be practically confined to physical drill. . Daylight parades will be devoted to marching 1 , judging distance being practised on these occasions. When satisfied that the Cadets are properly set up by the physical drill, the military part of the training will be gone on with. Some of the companies already existing, such as the. High School Cadets, will carry on very much along the lines they have been following, except that their musketry will be. much more elementary, involving the use of less ammunition. With regard to organisation, Utago has been maoped out into 45 districts. Fox pur* poses of'training Cadet officers are . being selected to command the Cadets in these districts. In the meantime, attention will be concentrated on tho city companies, but in course of time Cadets who reside in out-of-the-way places will be able to be got at by tho district staff for training With rcsnect to equipment, uniform, etc., it is anticipated that the whole of the Cadets in the Otago district will bo clothed with shirt, short trousers finishing above the knee, and slouch hat. Two classes ot rifles will be provided—a light carbine for the smaller boys and an up-to-date short riflo for the stronger lads. In the squad of alert, smart-looking men going through military movements with intelligence and precision, instant at the word of command, it is now almost cliracult to recognise the body of men who several months ago commenced at the Garrison Hall a course of instruction calculated to fit them for the important duty of training the Senior Cadets. Mr Duffy has done excellent work with excellent material. Thirtv-fivo men were inspected recently by Major-general Godley and Colonel Smyth, and deserved the word of commendation which the commandant had to say concerning their appearance and work. “ One of the most brilliant functions of the kind seen in Dunedin” —such was the opinion expressed concerning tho Dunedin Officers’ Club mess dinner by an officer who has been present at most of the important military functions in Dunedin for a good many yearn past. The specially largo attendance, tho variety—in point both of colour and pattern—of the_ mess uniforms, intermingled with occasional khaki and evening dress, the presence of the commandant, and the inclusion of officers from Oamaru to Invercargill, were factors which contributed to tho importance and pioturesqueness of the function. But probably the most valuable feature of tho gathering was the free manner in which the officers moved about and got to know each other The mess dinner has undoubtedly served a useful purpose in bringing the officers of Otago into closer touch wdth each other, and tho success suggests to the club tho advisability of still further extending the useful scope of tho function by endeavouring to make it an annual rallying point for the whole of the officers in Otago. By the lamented death of Mr Hugh Montgomery the Port Chalmers Navals have lost tho co-operation of one who, though net himself at any time a member of tho corps, has invariably taken a keen interest in the welfare and progress of the corps, and lias boe-n worthily represented in it by no fewer than five eons. Three of the°o sons are still active member's ©f tho company, tho other two having left

the district. The Montgomery family has always been strong in shooting, three ot the sons being included in the 10 best shots in the company. Tho occasion did net warrant a military funeral, but the esteem in which Mr Montgomery was held by tho company was evidenced by the attendance of practically the whole company at the funeral. ’ . ... In his various visits to Dunedin Majorgeneral God ley has confirmed the first impression that no is approachable and vexy far removed from the unbending military autocrat which colonial fancy often pictures the English officer to. be Majorgeneral Godley has proved himself essentially adaptable. Indeed, it is remarkable how rapidly ho has impregnated himself with the New Zealand atmosphere and got himself into intimate touch with the nature and characteristics of a people differing widelv in temperament and habits from tho Britishers amongst whom tho greater portion of his life has been spent. Whatevor hostility has been betrayed towards the new defence scheme —and comparatively speaking such hostility has been infinitesimal —cannot be attributed to any tactical blunder upon the part of the commandant. Throughout all there has been prominent tho desire on the part of the military authorities to carry out the defence scheme in a maimer calculated to cause a minimum of inconvenience to the public. Such was again tho keynote of Major-general Godley’o talk with representative Otago .people at the Town Hall on August 3. The address and the discussion which followed undoubtedly did a great’ deal of good, the commandant’s engaging manner and evident sincerity winning public sympathy with his various proposals for meeting difficulties in the way of carrying out the scheme.

Tho commandant is not without a pleasant sense of humour. Dealing with the vexed question of the difficulties _in tho ivay of the dairy-farming Territorials getting away for training, ho confided to his audience that tho matter of those cows bad worried him ever since -ho had landed in New Zealand, and had caused him sleepless nights. (Laughter.) A moans of training the farming Territorials would bo found, he said, even although they had to send instructors to the very homesteads and to utilise tho barns as drill halls. If tho worst came to tho worst, ho added, ho would go and milk the cows himself! That the Defence authorities are willing and anxious to avoid even tho appearance of evil association in connection with military organisation finds further exemplification in their recent action in the North Island. It transpires that at one small centre the medical examination of Territorials was being conducted in a hotel, probably for lack of other suitable accommodation, and the zealous medical officer, in order to expedite the process, continued his inspection on a Sunday. The Department promptly issued instructions that both these practices must be stopped, and transmitted copies of heir telegrams to the various _ centres for the information of other districts.

A question that exercised the minds of some officers of the Volunteer force who were facing the proposition as to whether thev should continue service in the Territorial force was whether the grant of £ls for equipment was to aoply only to newly appointed officers. All doubts on that heading have been removed—it has definitely been announced that the grant will only bo made to newly appointed officers.

Particular's of the Schumacher Match to hand (says the Sydney Referee), show that the 2nd Royal Fusiliers, stationed at Jubbulpore, India, are leading with a score of 3604 out of a possible 4200 points. Other scores are:—2nd Hampshire Regiment (Wynberg, South Africa), 3423: 10th Hussars (Rawai Pindi), 3218; 106th Harzara Pioneers (Ouetta, India), 3145; 6th Dracoons (Mhow), 3135; Royal Marine Artillery (Portsmouth), 2907. The 7th Australian Infantry Regiment (Ballarat) is nineteenth on the list, with a score of 2493.