DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 716, 15 January 1910, Page 13

DEFENCE NOTES.

(Br Epbeuht)

The' following notice was' issued at the general manager's'office of the Wallaroo and Moonta - Mining- Company (Adelaide): All employees in the-company at the mines .and smelting works who'are members cf volunteer forces will bo granted four days' pay if they attend the 'Kit-chener-camp at the end of the month. This applies to all employees who have Been pat off temporarily owing to the coal stn.ee,.' as well as those whose- services have been, retained."

■.'■ One iivcak .'point in ' the Liverpool * i""? - J'.MMoonTres was the breakdown of lateral: communications between)-one column;, and •' another..- lordvKitcheher agrees "in-the immense importance 'of latorarJcemmunibatipns.- And ah'officer suggested to. him that as they are so important'it would be a good thing if such crossings as that, over Bead Man's Creok should.ibo'improved. ,'T don't want to sec'that'crossing improved," said the. field-marshal. ;.His opinion -is that ,- a practice-ground -with. the difficulties: taken out of-;;it'; isf no practice-ground. .For! practice'he would -choosers line of communication'with a good big bump in themiddle of it.' " '.' '■--.■ • ,•:■■/ ■

1 Lbrd. Kitchener -has probably no idea of tho value which is attached, both in the camp, and out of it,,'.to his. opinions/ He isiiidefatigablo in his '.observations,' and hifi.fitaff are constantly'making notes of what they isee.; But Lord Kitchener .'is exceedingly, disinclineil: to allot praise or/ blame .until, he issues -his report;'-: He hardly; over makes 'any comment :at all to those, -who. are /under/his microscope., The consequence is.that when he happens' to - let, fall three casual words they have • frittered all.through the camp within 24 hours.":. Tb-dny.Lprd Kitchener is supposed, throughout the camp, /to havecondemned. the gun' horses - used in 'the bat- : teries. ■ As .a matter, of. fact, he was; pass- 1 ing a battery in the early morning wheniha stopped and asked some of the-officers how they-fpund their horses. .'"A-;.:bit heavy'.for'; the 'work," they. said. -: "Yes, they;.seem, new- to' it," Lord. Kitchener, remarked... That seems to bo the origin' of the story.,; : ■'.'.-' "'.. ■■ -.\.--

; When,tho. new. Australian unit':'of; the Eastern'.fleet of the'-'Eiripire,;is : ; created the . Comm'.bnwealth.;' Government /will -not ,be cbmpellM;.to,build ; iip,the whole of the necessary .naval: organisation: /'From the beginning all, the' naval werks" which have- bcen| established :by.' the; Imperial, /authorities.:.in. Australian, waters /w-ill 'bo handed, pver."; It is regarded;'as. practi.cally pertain: that the central'/dockyard : and riayiil/depot will be';in Sydney c :;HarT : bpur' at:Gaiden Island;: where the A'dmir■alty. have ifr'adually ostnblislied, a fully--equipped naval /dockyard, v.Thp; prpbable value' of .the and ' machinery is;about:'^soo,ooo.'; It/.is evident-that tho .Commonwealth/Government will 'not 'turn; .aside '; frbmi' :s'uch .'a complete;'.-establish-ment , ; tc. incur' tho.'.exp'enso ;pf', creating", a now,-/central ,;d6ckyai'd- 'anywhere ' else: .For some .'years';; at, : lleast.', Garden•■'lsland' 'will be.the'/headquarters" ;of: the , Australian- nayyy: and :it : 'is. understood: that ;it'. is ,' the intention' of the Commonwealth;: .GbYernmcntljtb. appoint,the -present, direc'toi':/of the/mavni forces ; (Captain :;Creswell). to the'ippsition pf superintendent ef tho/dpekyard..'-' /' .'■;;•,-.::;■:;:.-

> One.',accidiittal■■. effect of:■ the; British Budget, has ijbeen, the/.increase:, in. the . smoking of/ cheap., cigarettes, ; and'' one' which-reo far' as'- it; affects ' more;than once'-been.;of .concern to;tne : Army : authorities:";. .The ■: higher 'duty: led to'aa'immediate. rise-in the price of pipe tobaccos, 1 ■_which "< are;.usually ',;sold-.-.- by ,weight,'but..o'igafette.niakers; in the case (of/inahy retained,the;-:old price ;for-:the-'same 'number of:cigarettes,, . putting, their!■:■ profits ..right' by reducing the quantity, of tdbaccb.used; I :;The'result ,has;been to. reduce' the quantity of .pipe' tobacco sold;'and tb: increase' the .sale' of cigarettes.';!. jL'.ciroular; letter: has 'been issuod from, the office of! Colonof»F. Bv C ..Ca'rleton, :-tho([ Assistant-Adjutant-General-;of .:Kecruiting;!;draiving attention';to'. the' tact' 1 that in most; .if not all,, regimental, institutes the, -price, of, 'pipe:tobacco has lately, been raised!';whilst cheuper brands of (cigarettes; have nominally'hot been al-i .'■tared. <:• ;;.Tko' circular-expresses the fear: that this, may; ; ftend ;(to. ■increase .smoking in -a form; generally .acknowledged,to.', be most .injurious; .to-.young, soldiers, and •.adds (the(hope/ that • efforts:( will ■ be .con-' tinned -to- impress on all.'.concerned the injury <(to;';fiie.ir''health ':■ ■which, smoking, cheap; cigarettes involves.'. ;■, .: . ;■.. ... '_ ..There]; is ' little .doubt that this' action in'regard'to'; beenprompted to a large extent by; three, main 'reasons:— •.'/':'-jf!;-'.;."..-. .."■-'. ■•^•::';j. : ':'-.;.r.1-;;■

(1). The-nnmbert'of ..'applicants for-admis- '," sion to; tho; jArmy who have ■■,to" bo .•■^/;ip'cte'd : owngitb physical, defects'caused' -,- '•■ by.'obeap/; cigarette smoking;: '. " ' (2)>-The- desire itb keep ,'upV tfie ; present i,,.../standard ..of'.!health- "and.;physiqueVin -' :::; the. Army; ''>'..;';".;,'';;•'-.:'•-,';•.'..'.■.• ■,'':-;,-..- (3) The fact thai pipe smokers.iaro found;:to:be morelr alert. and:'"neater' than' :i,. cigarette smokers. .:-.'• -.-. .•'.-'■;.:.';''•-"-'■■"'

v. At .Liverpool;(New: South - Wales)','Eord Kitchener, gave.lthe; troops-' fifteen. hours ; of plain/: simple"; war ■ (wrote the. special' correspondent of:;the Sydney."Daily Tele'graph"). -. V '.'..' ■: 1 ':' 1 "' ;■-".' ;':'. '. ■-.;•:•'■;' ;• By;ten b'clbckt'.in the evening it (he wrote) was' prettj;".;well -known that there -J™? ■ a ", change .iu the programme, -and there 'were ominous '/conferences':between the Brigadiers ■ iind.-: their -subordinate commanders.' '.'. The-Quartermasters got busy,-'and; befbre'j'niidnight ,ther'e',was-a tell-tale,, the. kitchens, 'where the .next day's .ineat. rations'were being cooked;at unconventional '.hours'.:.,,; ,'■'. .'"Halt,/ who, goes" there?" .the'sentries challenged. .;.''-'. : .'.ji'';''. ■■:''■"■ -vj';:'.'.-.'".. :■■:■■'■>■:'■; f. ."Friend l" . was 'the-prompt reply, and .then . a.. momont; 'later ,'all: doubt as -to :tbe. seriousness of; the;'position was put at an. end;:by. thoi further, challenge;— .•'■; :: Advance, friend;".and give, the cbunter,sign," .says, the;'sraitry,-. in further,-chal-,'lenge, and-in procf.'of. the,expected protection _of thecanip by. something' more than' 1 the '.mere i'ormality. -of'.'posting guards' and sentriss. '•: ;' '.;"'-'■'".';

And- the, magio;; word was' "Atbara," which,., being. whiiipered .to "the sentnv passed : the, nighii : wanderer- into; tEe clmp,; whibh "was.Mn bed, but. certainly not";asleep;';.'.''■.-'.'l"-i;-.-'--'i■'.'-..•;. .:.';'.>;■'-..• -. ;■ '-, Soon L after ,2 Vclbck there were -whisi pared ..orders' for the transport; of each regimentf to;-;";fall '; in'.. on',.- the -parade ground. : But why j!were there" lamps' on the wagons, .'and why were officers and others: carrying 'lamps?.."-. It; made' the scene picturesque, but it'also'made'the military; display of; ; a ;night'.'mbvemont ridiculous.: One caii imagine what lord Kitchener;, would .hiVve; thought had he seen what was .being - done, and thosewho remembered, tho silent moving* away: of whole, brigades on:'active service—when : not even a' match, m:!ght be lighted—won-' dered, and, wondered;', and: wondered .when they heard; in the distance "the. barrack square routine of "telling off" the convoy, being shouted in;,tho liest of barrack square.drill, voices.'; 1 :The drill,-book-.is an excellent publication, but the lessons earned from it do not include, the public announcement of all-'on©: intends to do in a' loud voice in tho stillness of .the night, when sounds' carry far, and there may be listeners -in every nook and •. cover. Just, as: picturesquo:-:and impressive a picture as one r could:';\vish-to see .during, peace'training was. absolutely spoilt by the thoughtlessness or. inexperience of one or two; individuals. -.': -.;. ,

Thon, spectre-like, j the horses of-the Light .Horse Brigade -were' led .with great precision away .from ''their, lines to the water-troughs near by, and ,'. the'.-'; Pield Artillery vied with:,t:ho. -Lancers 'and Mounted Eiflcs for highest marks for discipline. It IMS. an impressive and; remarkable.scene : whon regarded as; part of the peace training of a; citizen army, but perhaps the. most astonishing part of it allwas the'way.in which unit after unit of eaoh arm.in its tniln came out from the.tents, formed up on,parade, and then, as it seemed.to onlooke'hi almost,without a command, disappeared .into the'blacker darkness ' along the pDad.s ,:.beyond■• the camp. .And so on throughout -a three hours',movement. At 'the end 1 of that time.there was hardly 'in officer or man in: camp, excepting those included in the' camp routino. details, and they were few. Asa night operation, it'.was a .grcat'suc-: cess. Tho men had doiie the same sort of thing in daylight in-scvoral previous camps. This was their first night oxperienco of it, and; thoiiresults aohieved may be accepted as a striking example of the advantages of progressive training. The. attauk: and defence., opcraSons which followed when Lord Kitchener had taken npa position at i3reen Hills trig station were too niuch like what had been

(.one before to..warrant rccnpitulnlion or description, .but the Field-Marshal .was evidently well satisfied with most of what was dona. Each unit in the-force! was a self-contained fighting body, andv.it worked as such, always maintaining rigid connection with the other units of the column, however, and for the tim.o being it seemed to be the .unanimously' acceptea intention of all ranks to' let themselves be seen at* their best. ".':.'. ',-,'■ ..

There - wore mistakes—many of thorn— arid lord Kitchener, in the! ordinary run of things, 'was:.riot slow to notice, them; and to comment upon them in his own grim fashion. .- Tct now and again he seemed to suddenly remember''-that \us was not in .command,'but was an onlooker, notwithstanding his high • degree. At such' tiraos'ho; would pull.,himself .up short, and scold:at himself as.much as to saj-, 'kitchener, you may.think hard, but you may. not,spcak.". Then he would smilo pleasantly .u'pon'somebody.near him, until another incident': attracted his attention.. There was one passing incident that may bo quoted to illustrate:what:isa's meant. Lord Kitchener was riding with his staff, and, the local staff around: him. .'Suddenly, ho tunied in tho saddle.with .M.air of having ovolved ,a new. idea, and aaV dressing an.officer.of high.standing, said: "I say, .So-and-So, ; • those'-, orders of ■ yours aro—are—are—oh! yes.".. Then: ho .turned away, : and- left, v the ...admiring .crowd •around.him:to wonder.what those orders iweroor what the■:peculiarity was aboutthem that-had.indueed such:close thought' by.the distinguished visitor. -' .'■■:'> •:: - : .-:j