THE DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA.

Wanganui Chronicle, 26 July 1901, Page 1

THE DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA.

«, The provisions of the Australian Federal Defence Bill are of some interest to us in New Zealand for the question of Australia being able to assist in any degree in the defence of this colony, supposing New Zealand federated, has been one of the chief features of many discussions on the advisablenesg, or otherwise of joining the Commonwealth. The bill is remarkable for the wide powers it gives the GovernorGeneral for embodying a scheme of compulsory enlistment and for recognising rifle clubs and the cadet movement. Section 31 describes the persons liable to serve in the defence force thus:—"All male inhabitants of Australia (excepting those who are exempt from service in the defence force) whe have resided therein for six months, and are British subjects, and are between the. ages of eighteen and sixty years." The exemptions are members of Parliament, justices and judges, Parliamentary officials, heads of departments, police and magistrates, ministers of religion, gaol- and lunatic asylum officials, person? disabled by bodily infirmity, and per&ens the only sons of widows being their only support. Those liable to serve are -divided into four classes —the first com-; posed of all males between i!he ages of eighteen and thirty, iinmarried or widowel's without children; second, all similarly situated! between thirty and fortv-nve; third, all between eighteen and forty-five, who are married or widowers with child"ren; fourtfv all between forty-five and sixty. Compulsory enlistment is provided for in a clause which reads as follows :-- "Except in times of emergency the defence force shall be raised and kept up by voluntary enlistment only. In case of emergency the Governor-General may by proclamation call upon persons liable to serve in the defence force, in the,order before provided, to enlist as members of the defence force, and thereupon such persons shall in -the manner prescribed enlist as members of the defence force accordingly." The period qf enlistment in the citizen forces is three -rears. The GovernorGeneral has the defence force at his disposal. He may call it, or any part of it, out "for active service anywhere within the Commonwealth, and. also with the; Commonwealth for the defence thereof, at any time when it appears advisable to do by reason of emergency." He may also direct in case of emergenoy that the members of rifle clubs shall be enrolled as members of the active forces, and so long as they are required they will be regarded and treated as members of the active forces. No member of the citizen forces, unless by his own desire, shall be liable to serve beyond the limits of the Commonwealth. The regulations of the English Army Act are adopted so far as they concern discipline, except that there is to be no flogging. The wives and families of members of the -defence forces who are killed on active service or die of wounds or disease contracted while on service, shall be suitably provided for out of the public funds. Members of the defence force when on duty in. uniform or carrying ! a rifle are to be allowed to travel free on railways and tramways for the purpose of attending parades and rifle practices, on the production of a pass .signed by the responsible officer. The Government is empowered to providte artillery and rifle ranges. The pains and penalties which can be inflicted under the Act include a fine of £100 on any person./refusing jto supply transport facilities to the King's army and a £5 fine on any one refusing to billet -a soldier. -..■■'■' ■ . One of the most interesting and valuable articles on the above scheme that has come under our notice is by Mr A. B. Paterson. "The Banjo," whose experience in the South African war gives him some autihority to criticise. Leaving the Bill alone he goes straight to the point, and-urges the necessity of training the officers, and giving them opportunities for learning how to move troops about. The latter is all a matter for the commissariat; supply, and transport departments, the importance of which is too'often overlooked. "In their pride at the achievements of our troops in Africa-, people are apt to forget that all the commissariat, transport, horse supply i clothes supply, and ammunition supply work was done for "us-by the English officers —'done badly, enough, sonic-"will say, but; t(hat is a matter of opinion; it is-hard to have everything tip'to concert pitch o naotive service, and those who sneer at. the Army management of affairs should reflect in humble silence that, in New Zealand fotely, 900 men were left absolutely starving in a camp alongside a big city through some officer's blunder." The Wellington camp is tihe latest instance, and is quoted for that reason, but it is by no means solitary, as Mr Paterson shows,

[ asserting that there has (hardly ever beei a fixed camp held in any colony but whai I some more or less important hitch occurred in the arrangements. "In one cas< the bread was left behind, in another th« water supply was ludicrously deficient, anc some troops actually left the camp and came into town because they could not gel the first essential for their comfort —watei to live on. If these bungles occur in a fixed camp witih plent of time to prepare beforehand and within telephone distance of every (conceivable requirement, it is hard to guess what ghastly failures would occur on service." And how, he asks, are the officers to learn transport and commissariat work unless the troops are moved about. He has "no use," in American phrase, for the standing camp, styling it "a mere farce," and asserting iihat "it is [no use herding four or five thousand men I where they can ring up on a telephone | fo rany supplies they may have forgotten, and flattering ourselves that we could put | those four or five thousand men into the field if wanted. We are too apt to plume ourselves on the number of men, and we do not) look eiiuosh to their efficiency."