THE 8000 ARMY.

Colonist, Volume LV, Issue 13765, 4 July 1913, Page 6

THE 8000 ARMY.

DEFENCE MINISTER AND EX-

PEDITIONARY FORCE

MEMORANDUM BEFORE PARLIA-

MENT

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

Wellington,. July 3:

Tho Minister of Defence read to Par-, liament this evening the memorandum on the expeditionary force., which he sent to his colleagues before leaving for England, it was dated November 25, 1912, and was as follows: — "The only question as regards the Territorials' I wish to raise is the organisation of an expeditionary force. The Homo ■authorities have urged us to say what number of men New Zealand would bo prepared to .g>end to assist other parts of the Empire in case of need. Under our law no member of the Territorials is compelled to servo outside Now Zealand, but those who wish to servo must volunteer to do so. I recommend that I discuss this question with tho Horn© authorities on the basis of say 10,000 men, the composition of the force, the details of establishment, arms, equipment, etc., to be worked out and kept up-to-date, and that when the tiryo comes the reserves, or Territorials to be invited to volunteer." The Minister declared that he had not deviated one iota from that memorandum. The War Office knew perfectly well the position regarding volunteering, and absolutely nothing had been decided yet, except that when lie* came back the proposals made to him by tho War Office were submitted to the Defence Department for criticism. They made some amendments, and those 'proposals as amended were going to Cabinet for consideration. When Cabinet had considered them, the proposals would be brought down ;o the House for the House to say whether it approved or not; (Applause.) This was a very different procedure from that of the gift of the Dreadnoughfc.