OFFICIAL TONGUE LOOSENED.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13791, 11 June 1915, Page 7

OFFICIAL TONGUE LOOSENED.

-- tatr- - - SPEEiCH BY THE GOVERNOR

£ United^Pekss Association . j

Wellington, Juno 9

Speaking at a patriotic concert at the Town Hall to-night, the Governor referred to several points in connection with tho war. He said he. was going to express his opinion, which might not- agree with the opinions of some other people. "During the last seven or eight days," His Excellency stated, "we have had a definite pronouncement, of a very important kind from the man who use,;! to be Chancellor of the Exchequer, and is now Minister of Munitions —Mr, Lioyd Gecrge. (Applause.) That pronouncement has somewhat loosened my tongue, where I have had to be very guarded before. Th,e question the people of tliis country'want answered i» whether they are doing all that they should do to assist the Motherland in the present crisis. Let me just sketch the position as it ■stands to-day. We here in New Zealand—and this is not a question of any particular Government, for it would be the aame with any; Government that happened to be in office —have been in very close touch Avith the Imperial authorities since the outbreak of the war. We asked in the first instance what they wanted us to do, and we have carried out the task that they set before us. At tho present moment what we really lack in the British Empire is a sufficient supply of arms, equipment, and munitions. That is not a pleasant fact; but do not let us disguise it. The nation, was not* prepared for this great struggle, and 1 do not think we should blame the Government for^ not being prepared for such a gigantic war. Only a month before war was doclared a portion of our fleet was being entei^tained at the Kiel J Canal by the people who were planning this tremendous outbreak, and there1 was no hint of what was coming. Now | the.lmperial Government greatly appreciates what we have done in New Zealand, and is highly gratified at the way in which its suggestions have been carried out. It laid '■ down for us a curriculum which it asked us to follow closely. That curriculum laid down the character of the training that all soldiers were to receive before they went to the front. So far we have not had to ask the Imperial Government for any assistance m connection with aims or equipment, though .the rule has been laid down that all men going to the front must be armed and equipped in the regulation way. But here in New Zealand we have only a certain quantity of arnie and equipment, and we know that the Imperial authorities have no surplus. They are trying very hard to solve this problem of munitions. In the meantime we in this country have got to face the fact that if we try to force the pace by going beyond what the Imperial authorities have asked us to- do, we will reach the- place where wo will not be able to fulfil our engagement for. the despatch- of -regular ; reinforcement drafts, owing to a short■what is best for the nation and the Emperial Government cannot provide more at present. I believe tha^the New Zealand Government, .so far as the despatch of soldiers is concerned, re doing exactly what the Imperial authorities' want. ' Time may .make a change, | but at the present moment that is'the position, .This,,l would repeat, is not a-question of one Government cv an-' other' Government; it is a question of whatis best for the nation and the Empire. I want you to fully realise that by the end of" December we will have 30,000, men out of New Zealand on active service. Ono more point. Don't press mo for exact details.' I havo them ; but must not repeat them. Now Zealand at the end of this year will be considerably ahead of the other dominions in the number of men despatched- per head of th* .peculation."