"KILLED STONE DEAD."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 946, 13 October 1910, Page 4

"KILLED STONE DEAD."

YESTERDAY'S; BATTALION 'PARADE^

When : an' infantry battalion capable of ; ' ainstering from its city units, some ISO. v. men, can only muster-iai.of all' Tanks for*. field manoeuvres on a holiday, one is led ■ to inquire the reason. Ae examinatioi ' of the parade state: of:the.-attenuated : ■ Wellington Eifle BattaUon: which 'paraded'; at Lambton Station yesterday, morning, ', : en ■ route to Trentham for a. day's fieldll '. operations shows : that" 0n1y.134. out .of-'a it possible ,450 odd. put. in an Putting on one side the suburban -units—"; Hutt VaUey Rifles and Johnsonville;; K-mes—practically two whole •■' companies/ .' the Zealandia Rifles and: Kelburne;Eifles,' v ' were conspicuous by their absence. Only;, one company.managed to parade over' 29 / of all/ranks; J : v. ::^.;'-:. : . x: :

:■ sWhy;is this thus?" inquired arepre-'"•: ■sentative'of The Dohiniou of one of thV-; senior officers. '. ■.'.- : ./■' .■':■ .-.; .■ ■>;: '; '..■:..'■■. ,"Well,"-, he; said, 1 with> a "wry.'face,-.,"I :? suppose- you-saw.by the paper, this mbra-f;,'. ing .what the Prime Minister? told Dayie McLaren in the House, last nigW?" y, r ;:• That' the volunteers needn't' turn '■■ bni" - unless they;liked'" • ,- : ■-':'■■:<;~- ;f "■' ■■■"■■ ■■■•'■'• -■-■; ■■; "Yes. .>:, That -statement .-killed this/ parade stone, dead. -'Last' men ■. knewthat if they did not show'upfor. a. battalion. parade, they;;would- be 'fined.■': They- showed:, up: /put., in,two daylight ■ parades—one in the forenoon 'and one';in, the afternoon—and were..paid at-the.rate■■•;■; of 25.. 6d.■ for: each"parade. .-'Tlue -year , ); the .capitation for the parades goes, into the .company hinds', - not into'the. men's'' , pockets,'and this' may .be" 6et-down' as a. '■-. .secondary cause of the : pporr muster; >: ■Ax third, but somewhat remote cause, ! mightbe the :unsettled state "■ of tie.; .weather.'?■ However/as I said before;-the Prime Miniister .killed this parade stone -dead;" !w;? ■; This; View;; was shared-.by. other-officeis': ..with...whom.fhe.reporter, discussed tfcf , ;''.,;*;^^:,^^:;):^-^:'.^!-;'^