N.Z. RESERVE FORCE

Southland Times, Issue 17596, 7 March 1914, Page 6

N.Z. RESERVE FORCE

BRANCH FORMFD IN SOUTHLAND. AX KXT 11 FSI AST hj ' MEKTINC. With t is■ ■ ii. of forming a branch pf the nation;!' force in S-miii-lan.l, a uv-ting was held in the Victoria Mali last I'vi.-nins at which were present men who have hern | n i«m inen li y associate,! willi lii <■ def'-ne, movement no: only in S> mtli I a ml. hul in other pans "I th •• I'uPiinioii, many m' linorlaraill's "Id vol nnt e, is ami not a few o I those who saw seivice in tile Smilii African war. Altogether there would !»■ so! i' i■t' i; a g nver two Immlreil present, mill the tm-eting was a nia rhed ly enthusiastic Olio. The .Mayor. .V|- 1 ». .M cKarlane. presided and with him on the stage were several pmminent local citizens. ami others wlio came from other centres especially to speak of tile henellts to he derived from the formation of a branch of the reserve force in Southland. Apologies for non-attendance were received from Captains Hazlett. .1. Flans and Connie and Mr 11. .1. Cilmour. Tile .Mayor expressed his pleasure at Seeing s ,, many present, all of whom, as far as In eotild sec. had jirevionsly carried arms. Were they each to enrol its a member of tin- corps which it was proposed to establish, it should ho an inventin' for tin- ynnnu’iT men to follow 11 rv.ituple. parents should encomp.g,- raiio-r than hinder their sons from carrying out military training, and rather i an ! of, !t a i it as a scheme whereby tin ;, would he .'•quire,! to s uwe on the fit Id. to think of what staunch yiums men it Woiilii I■ll i! •! it!'. , -I.lr.ee! ( tenders,C, iu whose hands the formation of the brain-h had l.nen placed, made reference to tlm defence re"iilatttuis S -Mina out tile objects of the reserve force, which would be recognised as one of the defence units of the I fori , inion. Anyone who had borne arms in the defence units of tii" Knipire. either Tnilitarv or naval and was willing to place IPs services at the disposal of the Xew Zealand defence fore-., would he readily admitted. Tli ■ importance of the movement had long been recognised by Continental countries, which had large bodies of men ready to take their part in lime of war. Ft was a wasteful process which required that skilled and trailed men on the active list should e-alb-d on to carrv out secondary duties. The object of tin- reserve force was to supply men to carry out these duties ami to allow till active men to take their place in the tiring line. In O'-rmanv alone there were two ami a half million ready to lake up secondary d uiies should war break our, and other countries on the Continent also Irsd lar.se reserve forces. lie would >u,:.ggest that tile Sou 11 1 1 ami branch be H rea 1 live institution, anil not. alto.ipather a paper one. This could be don* 1 with eery little expense. l.ei the various division form themselves into separate units, elect their own offie''rs. keep their own roil book and then with a pro pec scheme of niobolisation they .-jilt'd !>e called out at quick notice. When so called "tu New Zealand would not only h;:'.e a force fitted to take its place : n the second lino of defence, hul re,-tie and competent if need to be stand shoulder to .shoulder with the Terri torinls in the firing line. Colonel Baucliop. Colonel Watson. Mr J, Thomson. Hon. Captain McXab and Captain Stout also spoke of the advantage of bavin? a reserve force as a. background t<> tbe present territorial system tMPi the desirability of forming a branch in Southland. Major Mebaffey moved that Colonel Xk yne. Majors Scanclrett and Aitcheson. <•Jn.pta.ins W. A. Stout. J. Harvey, W. A. Staririlers. W. Hazlett. It. I!. McKay. .1 J3. Mackenzie. W. B. O'Toole. Finns, Duntop ar.d Dawson. Lieutenants Lennic, •fedd. Moffett. Lyell arnl A. F. Hawke t,e appointed to form the committee for tv*, m.uiajement of ibo Southland branch ~f the jia'ional reserve force of the •h.rw: military district, with power to t, : ; ;*a,> to add to tiicir number. Tbo ter,’ion was seconded and unanimously ivrri-jd. • Before the nitre ting cioscd fully two l.u.ttired names were enrolled and everyth in;.. points to the successful formation of the body. Durim: Hie evening the Kighth Regimented Band rendered several national airs