EXISTING DEFECTS.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12723, 19 February 1910, Page 3

EXISTING DEFECTS.

LONG AND CONTINUOUS TRAINING NEEDED. | FUNCTIONS OF COLONIAL FORCES. i (Received Feb 18, 11.20 p.m.) I . Sydney, Feb 18. Lord Kitchener states that the training he saw in the camps indicated a distinct tendency to go too fast and neglect essential preliminaries of training for more advanced studies, which the troops engaged were not capable of carrying out properly. After referring to the excellent fighting material available, he says that excellent material and the greatest zeal, though indispensable adjuncts, .are not of themselves sufficient to enable a force to take the. field against thoroughly trained regular troops. While .not criticising in detail what he saw at the various camps, his suggestions have been devised to meet the principal defects he observed, and to enable the camps in future to be ready instructional as* well as a thorough test of the work done during the year. In home training it must be distinctly recognised that a national force maintained at a high standard of efficiency could only be produced by the- work of years. Such work must be steady and continuous, as any divergence from the policy decided upon might, and probably would, lead to chaos and useless expenditure of money. Admitting- the British axiom that the maintenance of the Empire depends upon the supremacy of British naval power, Lord Kitchener brings the argument down to Australian conditions. In applying the principle to Australasia he says that considerations of time and space cannot be disregarded. The conduct of a great war deponds upon the calculated and proper continuation of naval and military diplomatic forces. It is quite conceivable that in the future as in the past national considerations may require the concentration of the British naval forces in one or other theatre of operations, and it follows that in seas remote from such concentration the British naval force- may find itself for the moment inferior in force to the actual or potential enemy. In such & situation,, although our- ultimate superiority at sea might not be a matter of doubt, some time might elapse before command of the sea would be definitely assured in all waters. Therefore it becomes the duty of all the self governing dominions to provide a military force adequate not only to deal promptly with an attempt at invasion, but also to ensure local safety and public confidence until our superiority at sea was decisively and comprehensively asserted. For this reason it was recently agreed that the Home forces of the United Kingdom shoui'.d be so organised as to compel an enemy contemplating an invasion to make the attempt on such a scale as to make it ■impossible to evade our naval forces. me same argument would apply to Australasia, and its land forces should be calculated and organised on this bas(lieceived Fejb 18, 11.45 p.m.) Lord Kitchener's . report continues that half of the 80,000 men would be required to secure the larger cities and defended posts from attack, while the other half would be free to operate as a mobile force anywhere in Australia. The best defence was. generally by taking the offensive, and therefore there should be ho difference in the organisation and equipment of any unit. He departs from tho training prescribed by the Defence Act, considering that while cadet training was valuable as a preparation, they could not replace the recruit training, which was a necessary •preliminary to the production of an efficient, trained citizen soldier. For this reason he classed 18 to 19 year men -as recruits over and above the peace establishment of 80,000 men, but liable to be put in the ranks in war. He. recommends an extended camp traiuing of up to six clear working days, in addition to home training. This would meet the requirements up to the 25th year. The first principle he Jaid down as essential to the success of the enrolment, was that the nation as, a whole should take pride in its defenders; and insist upon their organisation being real and .designed for war purposes, and provide means of properly- educating, training, and equipping officers and men ; in other words force must be an integral portion of the national life. He recommends the division of the Commonwealth into 215 training areas,, ranged in 21 groups. No social consideration, no influence,' nothing hut efficiency should be allowed to affect selection for the promotion of officers in charge of areas. He recommends the following scale of pay : Colonels £800 to £900 ; lieut-enant-colonels s£7OO to i£Boo, majors £550 to £650; captains £375 to £450; subalterns £250 to £350. The cost of the Military College, is estimated at £15,000.