UNIFORMS NOT WANTED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11755, 20 July 1916, Page 2

UNIFORMS NOT WANTED.

DECISION OF UNWOOD UNIT. C.D.C. BETTER WAYS - OF SPENDING MONEY. At a meeting of the Linvvood unit of the Citizens' Defence Corps, held at the Linwood Oddfellows' Hall last evening, Captain A. C. Maxwell presiding over a small attendance, the question of uniforms was discussed. The chairman introduced the subject which, he said, had arisen out of the recent recognition by the Government of the Citizens' Defence Corps as a unit of the New Zealand National Reserve. His own opinion was that if the National Reserve were to be armed, they should have uniforms, but not otherwise. Ho referred also to the decision of the general meeting of the National Reserve on the samo subject, which affirmed that uniforms were

desirable, and had set up a committee to get information on the subject. Mr G. Capper said that the Citizens' Defence Corps had done a great deal of useful work in the last two years without a uniform. They had been told again and again that rifles were not available. To put the five hundred members of the Citizens'. Defence Corps into uniform would cost £1250, and it would be much better to spend that money on helping out the very scanty allowances granted to returned soldiers by the Government. He read a letter addressed to the. president of the Citizens' Defence Corps (Mr G. Harper), urging various reasons why the uniform proposals should be held over for the present, and invited members to join him in signing itMr Taylor also opposed the uniform proposals, and suggested that the younger members of the Citizens' Defence Corps who wanted uniforms should join the Territorials. The wearing of uniforms would alienate public sympathies from the Citizens' Defence Corps, and hampsr the usefulness of the organisation. Other speakers expressed similar views.

Lieutenant Bridgeman spoke of the serious falling-off in the membership of

the Citizens' Defence* Corps. There, had been no battalion parades for months past, and it was a question when the uniforms could be worn. The corps was not formed to enable members to march up and down < with a brass band, and Be regretted in many ways that the Citizens' Defence Oorps was in danger, of losing its identity by absorption in the National Reserve. Uniforms would complete the work of (sinking the 'individuality of the Citizens' Defence Corps. He doubted that a uniform could be procured for aa little as £2 10s, and even if it could, there were better ways of spending the money. A motion affirming that uniforms should 'not be procured was carried without dissent. Captain Maxwell was elected to represent the unit on the Uniform Committee of the National Reserve. The question of securing a better attendance at. unit parades was briefly discussed, and a committee was_ set up to inspect the attendance register and ascertain by canvass what men could be depended upon to attend. During the evening Lieutenant Bridgoman (Territorials) was congratulated upon his recent promotion.