CITIZEN SOLDIERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12705, 7 March 1912, Page 2

CITIZEN SOLDIERS.

J RELEASE- OF THE BOY COOKE. (Per Press Association.) Wi*-LJ_IiNUTU.'jN,; this day. "It has been .said that the. deit-nce authorities liave persecuted' the ijo> Cooke by bringing. Jnm up a. secouu time," remarluHt j.vrajor-Geiit?ra.l Godiey (Comnianila ; nt of Vine New Zealanu i torces) to a New Zeakintl Times r«porter, wiieu lii-v attention was called to the litct that Uooke had been obliged to go to gaol a second time, owing to persistent non-compliance with th© Act and J refusal to pay Uie fine.. "All. I can say, is that notning is further irom the wisii of. myself or the delerice Authorities than tnau men should surfer imprisonment on .account of this- scheme-, uiu fact r sooner than have it persecute anybody i would like to see the Government ' s reiease him. 1 would like you also to no*ue tliat iii Austraiuii cadets; Avho,,a.bse"nt.'theiniaeives from drill are,- placed under. detention for' a period corresponding ..to tlie drills missed, but I still Hope. . i;liat'.. it may be possible for .our scheme to go on without having to resort to- that system.'-' At the other 'end- of .the scale are to be found many .enthusiasts, as General Godley indicated.' m, \> a coriversatidn about his. r«cpnt .visits, to.. I'oun of the territorial camps. /.-'lii Otago,. and- South-! land 1 came across men who had been rejected on account qfttphysjcal unfitness, •but. who insisted upon attending drills. The. defence authorities were.-,£n a ; grpat. difficulty. It is a difficulty, -\ve are- jiot sorry to get, of, course, to know-how to deal with such cases, , and • I decided that we would . relVLse nojjody-_c.W.e>-jnust try to devise some .ndethod of. utilising the sen'ices of such willing and enthusiastic men.". , ; „..-,. •, .. .'. . ...,,.. ■ ... .. After visiting four out. of five camps at .which New Zealand territorials are, training, Major-Genera*.... godley,, Com; mandant. of .the. Forces, .ha^.j-eturned to Wellington, thoronglily pleased 'with his experiments. "In oi" the inclemencyof the weather the attendances' have averaged 80 per cent," he ttolad 'a New Zealand, Times., reporter. "The absentees are accounted for by men .who'h^ye changed their r place, of „ residence, or have elected to come under the 'casual', category, enabling them to train later wi th our* regiment. This e.'asticjijt^: . flbqut the period of camp training does away with any sgrious hardship,, t^.^individuals engaged m a pai-tjcular occupaitjion. where there is periodic, .pressure, qf^wor^., Talfe agriciiluture, for instance," the; late harvest has been a factpr m postppning the training of ,Jarg e ■numu'ers, and, we propose to postpone a whoie encampment m Taranaki fciw that reason." Questioned . , about' the - , personnel. , and spirit of the camps. General Godley. replied : '.'I was ;very , much pleased .with the good, physique and the- excellent appearance of the n^en who have been at these camps... ,They. are zealous and . enthusiastic. Tliirty ar, forty of. the 15th North Auckland, Regiment at Whangarei. actually. . rode 60 miles so that they" could get .tp cajnp.in, .taiuc."' ,•.;•, v! ! "Is there any sign, of dissatisfaction ovei - the element of compulsion^" ... . ! j'j^see nothing except, the pfoiests of a small /section outside,'' replied the.Oeneral. "Tliere is not the faintest , suspicion of resentment . about, the men m camp.' Men 'who came reluctantly, bei,n^.a little bit. afraid of. what was going 'to -.happen, have expressed tliemselves, as having spent a happy .t<ime, and they are looking forward to next , season's camp. Several Wellington employers of men who camped at Oringi have commented ,on the fact "that their' men enjoyed it."