THE EMPIRE'S CALL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 629, 5 October 1909, Page 7

THE EMPIRE'S CALL.

■ -.- ■ -.. . •-. »- , - ■:• .;■; ■• -OUR MILITARY PRESTIGE MENACED;; WILL WE "FifiHT GERMANY? f ;HBITT>COLONE& CHATTOR'S.-.VIEWS:!'■ By the Tainui yesterday there arrived in Wellington, after an absence of'.threo years in Englnnd, Licuti-Colonol, E, -. W. C. Chaytoiy ■';■■ of tlio Now Zealand Dofonce'Forces. I/ieut..Colonel Chaytor, who was accompanied by-his, ■ family, was interviewed by .v representative of Tbk Dominion yestorday, and discussed .very!■..■.' ,frcely salient... aspecte:. of' 'recent devoiop- '■ mente in military affairs in England, and thwr . significance to tho. Empire. . ','.■!' , ~,; : . 1■ • .: German/Mliltary' Methodti ■'•:■<?'isy;'/. From scraps! hero iuid : ffi'ero' : iru the I ,daily • cable ne.wo we, in"New Zealand, have formea; certain ideoe «pon the international 6!tnat)oni Without knowing exactly why, we bavo-comi; . to the conclusion that fiorao day-there will fie/' a. war, a big war. between Britain 'and Ge'fi : many. There does not seem to be any definite reason why thews ■■ two .nations ■ should- ■ fight beyond the. utterly : illogical one. : "we're ■ bound/to:.fight :eqonerk:or/ later, eo,the sooner the better." It is-a \i\ii-,, jling eituation;: To Licuti-Colonel Choytor, - who. spent two years at tho Staff College, Camberleyt another year at tho Royal Naval Col-lege',-undergoing a special: war. course, and be- . twoen wliilee studying Continental battlefieldp,';. the interviewer presented tlio pusr.lc, for eolu»^ : : tion. ■■■. t ■ ■.'. ■;-. " t-..y ■■: .: ■-.-•' ■.-,• ■:•;..- .v-li ; v !'-' . What is the German attitude towards Brit-. ain?- .-. , ■■.-,■■• •:.-. , . .-).■ ■■ •'.■■■...:\..-' "The attitude of Gcrraahy.'towards Britainmay be considered in tho lignt of her'attitude to Austria in 1866, and to .'Franco iu lS?0," was .the somewhat startling reply. V- Colonel Chay-i! tor went on to Ray-that the head and'front of. German policy was preparedness for war—with England |( if nijed be. 'Speaking from personal observotijna. in the .vicinity of Moh, he, said , thnt all :nlong the frontier troops were rcadyi for instaat mobilisation. Along the railwaylines won) military sidings innumerable. .Th* ■ whole country, in /fact,: was instinct. with- t|)o -> .spirit, of'.' militarism. ' A,i German engineer': officer showed hini round Metei'. and almost ' wept at tho recollection of what that huge foftross had cost the.Fntberland; for the: main*-'-' tenanco of Meti is an outrage, on German mill-; tary,ideals. "Tbey\ don't beliove in such for/tresses," remarked Colonel Chavtor, "but when France fortifiedher frontier, Germany, had to ! followsuit." But/he went!on, the overwhelm'-:! ing revelation' of: the- German military eyßtem is- the proparednesa ; for mobilisation. "And Great Britain ,is. only, eight: hours' distant :across the North Sea,' he said, r •.:.•■ "! !/But!whot Of Uβ? ■.;'■; ~!.'■/ u/, ! : . .',■-'! <r Our military'polioy is admirably summed: up in. the. remark I.once heard uttered hy'&'.] German officer," replied Colonel C'haytor. v 6tid, 'You people are too sporting.'- Germany-] vtill not give us a Sporting chanco when th» | day conic/ .She , will!'.strike: hard,'- and: first; 1 ) ■if she can. In war men arc, after all; animals., Theyittust either.kill.or.be.killed." :.-■!:y..-:

.■'.'.'' ''iU'■, .^i , -Ha 1 IdaneV;Territorials. •? : ■'"■s;''':. : Biit th*. 'Torritb'rials--do .they not' count in ; ; this.reckoningP •"■■, ' ■ : , ; .' ■ : :': : .•'■,■■.-■..'■.,-''' . Colonel-Chaytor did not think .so.."'■..They'.'are'i'.V better organised''.than .w«re -the 1 but they are.not so well trained. .Less , .tinie ■ .was givcn:for-.training,{with a' tendency, to etiU ■further ourtail.it.' lho'Torritori'a)e wete'vofy : highly, thought-of at,. Home, and'Rrcat.effor(e'-.' woro being made to further.increase .the aonre ■> strength of Itr. Haldsiio's Arniy,of Home Do. fence.,' But as for defending the. pountry. inHli*'' ; absence of,;th«'Teßular, arinyrrthati.the peop|«. ; i : thought,was "quite .another, matter, i i''On" the ■' outbreak: of hostilities, the • British .Territorial.' will receive six months' , training under active'service conditions," said Colonel ChayT • tor. Ho.imagiMd, howoverj that the hands of ' the British military authorities would bo quite :' iull. onoudi then ..without, haying' to train an■■: army o: defence.- '■{. ..'. ~; : ";" :..,; - ■(■■ .~V. ,'•; ;;"■;' Training, juitj'comj.lv';];' l ' "Thoro'-'haa, not'been an- jnvßsion of Bntttond'- ' for .centuries, which;}? probably, the reason why • thO; defence of tho> country'is'never'.seriously . mmdtred upon by tho.'people. 'But there hae . l^^ ; lMFl. i >*» :ml[l, f, ei ! :l(! R t ' fot > v »rd.in.the direc',' -.tion; service,' and, according to: . Colonel \Chaytor, this '■■ irtoveracnt .is Raining ' tho minds of ' tnoso who ;havle v 6todied-, recent" Hevelopinent?', . .and observed the results of tho.persistent am... itation which has been instituted by'thOrNa.tional'Servico Leamie;- that in tho'.end; Britain' must.recogqiso that .military .serviceis an'obli... .eation That way,.eiye Colonel :. 'Chaytor, ■ national,.safety, lies, - Aβ- they say ■ .in Germany, ithreo: years' service, 'from the. youthful end of a: matfs'life , ;added jix years to the other .'end,' 6d;tnttclrdocs,'h« benefit .phyi siKdly from the training'ho.-rcceivee.; \ ■ v ' : : '•'-;!•• Staff; ■.■-■■'■'.'\ ; Can yoii, t«Uiie.,«xact)y:' ithat the organisa-' tion of an'lmperial'General Staff will mean to ■!New• Zealai^.?■;■';!.. '''l-'.-i'i V? v - ■ , ■ •■ - : "It., will ■• iiioan,":'. roplledV :.C6loncl JChaytor, ■ that our futuro'staff officers will he required '■■■ . to take tho staff,'oolite course; that the"con-i' stitutiph of Gedcral;. Staff willenable a' regular , , system, of. interchange of offi- . ;cerS|,to -be carried out, to.'the end.-that'the' .organisation of, all tho Imperial forces will be 'principles, familiar to every'.officer throaghout the Empire. , At'Camberloy,' one isrequired .to -tho art of - training, troops, but the hißhcr principlcs-of tho science ■ of. : war—organisation, .mobili6ation,' . strategy,' ana,so bn., ..Correlated,with thoso is.thospeMal naval course, so that. the.rclatibno.f-ihbnaVia ™ >?«. military.art,'of .wjir. is' propefly.":undcr. ' fitOOd.; ~-.■■■': ,'t .;'; '':■-'■. V'-. , v *' : ~'\ : >.;;':'■ .•■>'•'■ ,In reply to' a_ question, by,the inlerviewer. , LieuL-Colonel ■ Chaytor' suid that, -he ,knew .nothing of^.the,..Government's■ intentions > ro-gardiuKAjmsslfj.-HeiWoMld Kav« liked to have witnessed tho: remainder of J the v manoe\ivree ini Germany Wore;.ho', left, ;but..wasr*in»ble to stay longer. ■ Hemet&JlOnel^.'H; Davies in | ~ England,. shortlyi,beforo,. he left.: ; Colonel J'» v 'es."))ad.. then. j»en::4bout;:.twoj months in England, and wa^.deep.ln'.thoVetudybf.British" . Army methods,, v. , ' 7- ..■....■.■..■.;..-.,■ -_ ■. •

' ■ ..■■■;' ' - ' ; ■-■..' ■■;).. held at Mastertqii last.'night," ■'stated-' ■ -that; tlio:.trustecs. of. a: large .estate in the vicinity hod been ,approaohod- by residents; with the object of ascertaining whether they would submit Uho estate ■to .the Government . for closer settlement,'.; Tho trustees lueot in Wellington to-day to;dccido .the matter. jnV tho meanwhile a' couimitteo has-bech'appointod to gather ell information' regarding the estate for 1 .use.'' ■;'■-,.■ ;• i^ , •'.,...• .•' U" ■'•■ .' ■ Mr. 'J.;' A. Hanan, if.P.,' chiirtaan of tho Education Coininittce of the f Hou6e. of Eβ-, presontatives, in speaking -to; a Christchurch V reporter. yesterday with regard to the discbh., tmuance of free railway tickets, lyliich had' been issued for some years to teachers attending Saturday :classes,;said' that' the method, of v conducting, tho- classes, had' notbeen satiefac- ' tory. No means had been taken, by examination or : otherwise, to ascertain what'dogreo of progress had been i mado by the teachers nt-i ■ tending theni, and whether the country' was' : receiving value for tho money exponded. Ono reason for; tho withdrawal of the privilege was ; that it had not been , honostly used. 'In. many : cases those .who, had availed' themselves 6f tho privilego had done little niorq than-make a . merely formal' attendance, v llvoryolio desired progress in education to continue,.but there was no rcason: whythero should not.be a thoj'.'< ough inquiry iuto tho: question whether full , value was being obtained for ■ the expenditure: ; The cost, of the administration 1 of education ~ boards had'greatly increased during recent■ yehro, and; while somo boards had administered ■ their.funds with wisdorjitlmt could hot be said of them all. It would.ibo interesting to -have 1 a,statement .showiug itf/detail. the cost of ad- ( ministration, by-each; , of tho boards in the, Dominion, and, during the course of the com-, ing session, ho would ask for one. ■■: *-■, ■■';- : -'■'■'■',