EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15449, 11 September 1914, Page 3

EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

MINISTKII"S STATEMENT. UUIC.ADK OF ARTILLERY GOING. -MORE MEN WANTED. (Fbom Ocr Special Coeiiesfondent.) WELLINGTON. Srpt. P. In speaking in the lli.isse thi* Hull. -J. Alien sa:d that tile M<>ll>o i :td to coiisM-t how far it was r.;;ht to >-' in! yoini-i men away from New Zea'aud. having regard to tue mods of tiu- Empire ami the needs of New Zealand. The Government were prepared to fultil their arrangement with the War Oliicv. which was to send :*.ivay an expedil ionary ii>ive of the .size i.t'W he.iiji sent, Indeed New Zealand had done more than it had proiii sed. The Mot'lur Country hail >a:d that the force was required and very required. Tile Government had within tli.» last few days received a cablegram from the Home authorises saving that they wanted more men. and he had no doubt that the Govern, went would respond to the calt made. (Hear, hear). The bargain the New Zealand Government had made with the War Office. Mr Allen continued, was to send with our lorce a six-gun battery, but now i; had been deeded to send a brigade ot artillery, consisting of three fcur-uun batteries. It hn<l been suggested Pa at sufficient puns were not-br-ing left behind for the defence of New Zealand. He did not intend to say how many gnus were te'ng left here, but he liad bec-n advised that- the supply of Impounders and the howitzer butteries to b? left here was ample for the defence cf the country. THE HARBOUR DEFENCES. "With regard to the fortificalions oi' our harbours, and Auckland and Wellington defences, the Minister said they were ample in view of the present state of the -l'ac-fie. In fact We'lmgf.>n and Auckland were so well defended that he would like to Ik? in any of the batteries at these forts when either the Greislnau or tho Schanihovate caine to attack them. He was advised a.'so that the ports of Dunedin and Lyttelton were well enough protected.

GENERAL GODLEYS APPOINT. MENT. Tho term of appointment of General Gail ley. said Mr Allen, would not bo u;> imt. I thirteen months from noiv. ami he was tinder encasement to conic back to New Zealand when tho war wafe over if i.s term were not expired by that t:m>. He had no hes : tat'"on in sayinu that tho Government wouid have been lacking in their duty to the Mother Country, and their duty to the force, if they lnd nut sent the best man available in command, fcr the lives of all r!b» men depended on tho knowledge -it-.' experience ( >f their commander. It was our <!uty to send the best they had. and he ventnml to say that the state of tii'nii* on the Pacific was such that we could send our best acd still Uel s;ife within our own shores. I{ KINFORCEMENTS TO BE SENT. Arrangements had been made wiuli the War Otiioe to send reinforcements t;» the forc-j up t;> full strength during the war. This wou'.tl mi'an a foiv.* equal to I'D per cent. <-i the original force, about six weeks aiter the despatch of the main body, and five per cent, per month nTter-watd-i. It was true that the war would deplete thc> Territorials, and aliVi'.d" .up; ha*l b on taken to till tip the ranks ol certa-"n of tho territorials. Tiic fifth Wellington Regiment, was hein-j tilled from the general training section, and from those men and ofiiters who had served with tlie volunteer*. OFFERS FROM ALL QUARTERS. The Government, continued Mr Al. len. nv.'fd a debt of matitmle to those "■en nrul oitieers who had come forward to keep up Ulie defences cl" the country. Ho was also £rnt. : fiod with the splendid olfers of ass'stance from til-" 1 Legion of Frontiersmen, tho National Reserve, and others. So many men had offered their services that the Govern-i-.ent could not supp'y them with rifles except by iakin<i the rifles from the cadets, and lie did not propose to do t-.iat. It was a "so poss-ble that tho agist winch men cou'.d volunteer for jervtce abroad should '•<* increased. This would mak» it possible !or many men w!> : . bntl seen service to go with out forces fo tho front.