A PRACTICAL TALK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1237, 20 September 1911, Page 3

A PRACTICAL TALK.

TO BUSINESS MEN. ABOUT OUR NEW ARMY. "A. practical talk to business men" might very well lmve served as tho text upon which the General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Forces (llajorGcnenil A. J. Godlc-y, C.8.) las?d some very interesting Teniarks at the New Zealand Club luncheon yesterday, p.t which he was the guest of honour. Mr. V. C. Frecth presided over the function, at which there were present, among others, the Speaker, of the IloiihO of Representatives (Sir Arthur Guinness), the Hon. C M. Luke, M.L.C., Mr. F. M.. 13. Fisher, M.P., Mr. fl. C. Tewsley (president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce), and Mr. S J. E. Fitzgerald (City Councillor). Still Some Misconceptions, Tho General, on responding to tho invitation of the chairman to address tlie gathering, was accorded a very hearty reception, and proceeded to deliver an entertaining address on the subject of compulsory military training, with, special regard to its relation to the business community. There were still a great many people, he said, who apparently did not quite understand how the application of a compulsory system of military training in Sew Zealand was going to affect the interests of tho business community. There were three points about the system of training which seemed to require further elaboration—the drills,

'.c day parades, and the annual week's instruction in camp. The weekly drills n the evening could not possibly interfere v;ith business interests—that was obvious. With regard to the day parades, it was raiuired that six whole day parades or, alternatively, twelve half-day parades, should be carried out. A wholo day parade would cover six hours. They would commence, say, at 2 p.m., and finish at 8 p.m. They would be asked to give np six hnlf-holidays in the year. Siirriy that was not asking too much? Alternatively, they could lump these parades in two week-end camps of three days each, or arrange for twelvo halfday parades of three hours each, and he felt assured that a keen company officer would rather take the twelve halfday parades if lie could got them. Tho only real difficulty was the annual week's training—not a fortnight, as some peoplo seemed to think. He had noticed a

"howl" in ono of the Napier papers about ITie men being asked to go away for a fortnight. This was quite an erroneous impression. It seemed to him that a great many, people wore looking for trouble in connection with the defence scheme. Every morning when lie arrived at his office he found a huge pile of Ict'~rs from various people who had evidently been looking for trouble and thought they had found it. As lor

apprehensions of some people that men were to bo ruthlessly torn away from their ordinary everyday pursuits for a-week's training in camp,.without regard for the business interests of the community, he assured them that the utmost consideration would be shown to business men in connection with this matter—there would be no dislocation of business.

Esprit-tle-Corps of the Army, If a man could not get away to train with his regiment when it was called out, he would be trained with another regiment at some more convenient season, as a casual. ."What wo must have," said the General, "is some system whereby the battalions, the regiments, the batteries will train together. Otherwise tho whole thing will l.e a farce. (Applause.) I beg of you to try and get us that week's training. If wo don't get that week, well, to use a somewhat vulgar expression, it will 'goose tho whola show.' (Applause and laughter.) We want to get a proper esprit-de-corps into our regiments. There is no reason whatever why otir army in New Zealand should not be bound together by the same aspirations and ideals as thosa which inspire tho British Army. Every man in tho Fifth Rifle Regiment in Wellington should be as proud to belong to that regiment us if ho belonged to the Gordon Highlanders." (Applause.) Continuing, the General said that he desired to make clearer the position with regard to the universality of tho New Zealand system of compulsory military training. In the senier cadet corps the training would 1)3 absolutely universal. The Territorial Force, however, from the ago of IS years, would require to be of "good stout stuff," and they would require, a fairlv high standard of physical fitness in order to safeguard the general physique of the army, in this respect the training of the adult force would be less universal than in the cadets, but the exemptions would be for physical unfitness, and nothing else. "Now," concluded the speaker, "it any of you have any complaints or misunderstandings about the scheme write—not to me! (laughter)—but to Captain Rassam. He is your area group ollieer, and it is his business to get into touch with you, to come' to you, and discuss your difficulties. If you can't get satisfaction, then let nic.hiow. Hut ask him first—don't begin Vith me." (Laughter.)

General Godley concluded with some entertaining reminiscences of his experiences at Mafeking during the Bow War. The bulk of the defenders during that memorable siege were really citizen sol-diei-s, recruited from, the business men of the town, and it was principally duo to the splendid work of the Jlafckiug Toivn Guard at a critical monicut that a dangerous attack on the beleaguered town was repulsed. But the chief factor in the success of the defenders was the lucky chance which placed in their hands at the commencement of the war a large quantity of supplies which had been accumulated at lUafeking by an enterprising merchant just prior to the outbreak, in readiness to slip aero;.; the border to the Transvaal and so profit by ail expected _ development in the Customs tariff policy of tlw Government. Tho coup did not come off. as war intervened. But tho town profited by what was. a pure accident, and so was enabled to offer a prolonged resistance to tho besiegers. And, after all, the enterprising merchant did pretty well out of the business.