TERRITORIAL NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 17620, 7 April 1914, Page 3

TERRITORIAL NOTES

ITEMS' OF INTEREST,

’(By ‘‘Vernier.’’)

Each week “Vernier” will conduct a column dealing with matters concerning the Territorial and Cadet movements. Items of interest concerning military matters, ritle shooting, etc., are particularly Welcome, and should be addressed to ‘’Vernier,” c/o Times Office.

The arrangements for the local inspection of cadet companies by General Sir lan Hamilton are now well in hand. The various cadet commanders and the local staff concerned in the review are giving attention to the lads in the way of specific drill instruction, which Is necessary for the inspection.

The tactical, problem arranged for last Monday night (March 30) was carried out in good weather, although the night was exceedingly dark. Nos. 1 . and 3 Platoons, under Lieut. Hartley, took up a defensive position in two cross ditches in Queen’s Park, and were attacked by N’os. 2 and 4 Platoons, under Llents. Butcher and Gabltes. Pickets and sentries were posted at various points, and the action was carried out on strictly active service lines. As usual, some amusing incidents took place, as in the case of a sentry of the attacking force challenging one of the enemy. When asked for the countersign, the man challenged gave the wrong word and was promptly .corrected by the sentry with

” No it’s not it’s Butcher Such Information in actual warfare would prove very valuable. Altogether, the work done was very useful, and a little more of this class of work should greatly improve the subaltern’s knowledge of attack and defence methods.

Easter Monday, being a holiday, there will he no parade of A Co. that night, but in all probability the Company will parade on the following Friday, which will be the last parade before camp.

Rather an unusual plea was made by a young man who was charged at Strat* ford last week with having failed to attend a Territorial parade. He admitted that he had been absent, but pleaded that he could not attend as his uniform trousers were not available. Finding that the trousers would not fit. he took them to a. tailor to be altered. After they had been altered he loft them in a garage, which ho found closed when he wanted to gp£ the garment to go on parade. Defendant was fined £2 and costs. One defaulting Territorial at Huntly stated that he was not the possessor of a uniform, and objected to drill in a shed with an earthen floor in his Sunday clothes: while the leisure of another was so occupied with tennis and football that he could not allow drill to interfere with his duty to the various clubs with which he was connected. The magistrate told him that tennis, unfortunately, did not teach him to shoot straight. Mr Rawson advised another to change his sister’s ’’ night out” to some other evening, so that he might perform the duties which the law imposed upon him.

Territorials may make a note of the tact that the supply and ordnance depots at the Mataerae camp will be ’’ out of bounds." ■ Quartermasters will not. in any circumstances, deal witli or lie held responsible for the quality of supplies (except in the case of foods in tins or trusses or hay which may be found unfit upon being opened) admitted to or held in store, but will deal solely with quantities to bo received, and with their distribution, A board of officers will assemble daily to inspect stores.

A serviceable khaki woollen cape, somewhat similar in pattern to that worn by the Canadian Cadets who visited New Zealand, is now available for Senior Cadets. But it Is surely an extraordinary provision that the cape will only be issued to a Cadet upon payment of 15s. To the Territorial is issued without charge a splendid groatcoat. but the Senior Cadet, with no resources of his own. is required to pay 15s for his cape. The position is decidedly anomalous. Furthermore, the cape issued on those terms may serve to create an undesirable class distinction. in that the lad without tire cape will be a persistent testimony to the fact ihut he is poorer than his neighbour, resplendent in the cape.

A great deal of preliminary work lias already been accomplished in connection with the camp at Alalarae. On the left side of the railway (proceeding from Dunedin) is the pump to draw tho.water supply from the stream. Tho camp is on the right side of the railway. Nearest the siding will he (he ordnance and supply stores. The sites allotted to the various units are. roughly stated, in this order from the stores :— lnfantry Brigade. Coast 'Defence Detachment. No. 2 Company Field Engineers. Divisional Signal Corps. Field Artillery Brigade, No. 7 ATounted Field' Ambulance. Mounted Rifle Brigade. Headquarters wts.l he in the centre of the camp, and will probably be connected by telephone with ille 'headquarters of the various units. There will be a central post and telegraph office. One canteen will be close to the infantry brigade and another close to the -Mounted Brigade. Mr D. Alessent. of AliddU-march. was the successful tenderer for the two canteens.

General lan Hamilton hints that a mistake is. being made in putting asplvalt floors in our drill halls. In Canada, lie says, the drill rooms arc titled witn suitable wooden Poors, and are available as dance halls. This is a shrewd hint, and should not be lost on onr Minister for Defence, who. if lie is unaware of the approaching renaissance of dancing, cannot claim to be a true man of affairs. The big booming public dance pavilion in St. Kilda is but the herald of a swarm. Halls arc being hastily transformed in all directions to meet the lerpsic-horean frenzy of ttic people. Wc arc dancing mad. and if money is to be made out of the craze, why should not the Defence Department profit by making its drill balls a source of income ? Naturrally the saints will rave, a business they took over from the heathen long ago. but the people arc blandly indifferent to such raving, and will never hear it above the appeal of a stringband playing a ragtime two-step.-Atticus in the Australian Leader.

The fact that the members of the Department of Railways are talcing an active pan in the carrying out of tho Defence scheme of the dominion does not appear to lie generally recognised. The New Zealand Railway Corps is a very live organisation, and. judging from recent inquiries, it would sec-in that its members are imbued with a sprit of local service which is at the basis of the defence system.

I The rial way Corps i* divided into I two battalions, each consisting of eight i companies. The North Island Battalion is commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel G. Barclay. V.D.. with headquarters at Auckland. The Battalion consists of ; Nos. 1 and 2 Companies (Auckland), No. 2 (Frankton Junction). No. 1 (Taihape). No. 5 (Wanganui). No. 6 (Palmerston North), and Nos. 7 and 8 (Wellington.) The South Island Battalion is commanded by Liqutenant-Colonel 11. AXacandrew. with headquarters at Dunedin, witli Major A. J. McCredie (Invercargill) and Adjutant-Captain AV. O. Ennis, at Dunedin. Nos. 1. and 2 Companies are at Christchurch. No. :! at Timam. No, ( at Grey-mouth, Nos. 5 and 6 at Dunedin. No. 7 at Invercargill, and No. 8 at Nelson. Staff instructors are kept very busy carrying out, their important duties. The '-Director of Railway Transport is Colonel K Ff. Hiley (General Manager of Railways), who has had military experience in the Old Country, and the Assistant-Director of Railway Transport is Lieutenant-Colonel R. W. AleVilly. who has had volunteer experience in New Zealand. Captain R. Si. John Keenan is the Staff Officer, with headquarters at the railway office. At the present moment some 2000 men are being trained with the Railway Corps, which constitutes a portion of the New Zealand Engineers, and they are instructed in military engineering, especially with regard to the defence of station buildings, the entraining and detraining of troops, and general infantry instruction. The North Island battalion is armed with the short riiio, and the South Island battallop with the long ribe. The chief object of the formation of the corps is to enable each company io place iis own station buildings in a slate of defence in order to ensure the efficient working of the railways 'in war time, and to enable the staffs to carry _

put their duties, besides assisting in the moblllsaton of troops and the transport of material.

All cadets entering the railway service, must join the. Railway... Cprps,. Camps for the trainliig of officers will be held shortly. It la reported that the movement lias been taken - up with .enthusiasm by the members- of the Service, as evidenced by ' the recent weekend camps of instruction, and the establishment of miniature rifle clubs wherever possible, has done much to foster the movement.