SOLDIERS STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1464, 12 June 1912, Page 5

SOLDIERS STRIKE.

I ' -B!RTHtfAy;-;PARAbE;^β 1 : - Srtj,itAß:Y IN^IIir : ;HELD. si. &■; )■: tny '■■ . .'. , ; " .-'s, ' : Sli.li.!ai:,\f'---Ic6iivt v, -: ( -ope:ireil. ..ri :,fli? l)nlf:HalS*!ast:^y , i i uing,;:io > i : nq.iiifo info- ilw Wta(^<i'i^disei'jilTnc\fe;.\(ii ■ ' 7 PP! 1 ?!*"! 1 )? -. -'A'scei-tijin- ■ ';t Jio.'.-.TCii.soiu ;o{'^tlioi* jioii-ntfGntl-' ■ : ■Jne-'iibeiWo'fi:tliS ; compnny- at ; tha' ; 'Jyn'g's .Birtlfday'v'parado !, : ■ i°r :. ' Jraj6rStc%ns6tf:and?Cnp : ? • ,^'liioufeniint''PftTkerh !^lato, i. ,-commahder- of'tlie- cpmpanyviwas ;: 'alsb":i)WH ,i 's?,ht..' ■'■ ■'::';■ %\-AZ\'.''fs.':< ! " : ".^v r "'-fi : ?rajpr. ; ftuiry warnet' ;iu?.the::naturo;of.: ; aVcourt:- : mariial, ■ iihd;' IndVclmrge'- wa's^being'spre-' ' feri-wt ,agnin^.;Lieutonaut,i:Parker's:;hpn- ,: - ;P'iu"«r-■■characjer,^Tlie'-charge, was.against ,■■ In? ■•<»njwH : : , S?'l^%mpany.A:V^ ! i:| Discipline- [ . ; ; eo.lp;he! ,^.;HWHaWrdf/offlccr, oommiind- ;: ; : ; stated '' -T&' M-^ e thb.jla^fcca"uip ■ W^akapuna^ih'e/had,noticed that:the"dis- ■ , ;?pw : ,of,.3S:o47^C6mpany- , was::not what . : ;been:'3Ho.dnquired''froin ~^eutonautJParker:;why.so few.- , m parade-; , ;and#Lic ; uteuant:rParkervW-- ■■■■ -W' vtnat;;- some ; were ; cooks: and Giles's" ') been oit'guard ■j w°S? e -PT?Vious; evening. " Tho roll indi-,-.;Sa: te , d , 'Ui(it.:3o-menMwre not ;.■ to' collect them'-;' '.- - ;; J/Maipr;>Bmithwaitei'».Wliaf was .^meanpurfof.;the!■ men 'while in camp. , I / aintsr.o.vidently it wTleodf nu 'nß.\ColonerHMard said that it :., -:Major;ißraithwiito: Owinj to theso in- :. : .c,identas you ( deeded to transfer. Lieutcn--:^GrSo^^ lm "^ U « (1 - M- ■ V-; Lieutenant' Parker, was-only'in te'mnor- ■: s ?^-^ n '»«»' l of tho,companyp-'Tos." -. '■■: ■"' ■..V.-f.'.V-^'wt 'happened-nest?—"Notliinir ; , -BW^^. a ?V.a.n-article in the Auckland I '■^?^ headed ;.strike; cerV ' ! ! I!d >"j| n , p ,? njr . s - against, offi;i , ?^'^ , saw'-Colonel him : : : that"- , . I ■■ \- loss -v-to : : y understand ; .the-saffanv-'iTalso t «3.w : the Chief ■ r<; P o , r l te r-?f,tho;\Star;",and he informed : :me,tliat( the-information on which tho ar.tic!e : was based had been obtained from ' .membera.of the company. I ridiculed the '. 'ideo-.of a strike, and iny version was pub- ■' :l>sh«bin tho 'Star , next-evening." ■ '' Play the Game. ; Continuing, Colonel Hazard said that I\* ? c /5 t ad Parker before him, but.that officer.-made no attempt to explain tho position. Ho (witness) also made ;inrjuines of other officers, and they stated .that.they were of tho opinion that there :tvas no-foundation for the newspaper report:; On the following Wednesday, ho had-inspected'the company: on parade. iThere- were only 16 out of 114 members !present/-;i';He - found- the- men badly ■,turned : i out,",, one-third of them being ;-.without-varms;- ; and six-without uniforms. ■; lie-had. seen th«m on company, parade .'Eome-.tliree-months previousli'. when tliev .werei,also; badly ."turned out." On this particularj-Wednesday evening ho had addressed theimen on parade, calling attenitioh, to:the,newspnper article, and he had .."a'skeu--;them?to/"play.. the game" and turn : :o«t-;:in5fHll-,strengtli-;at.the King's Rirth"4aS- P. a 'radei,!;;s'. h..-2 . •■ •'■'■:■■ '-,-; .■ : ' rf : ynd;.what ftnp'periedatthe'King's Bivth- -■ day , ; parade officers, a sergeant/ ■probably been , 'worked up.'" ,: ■ - ;:;fDid. you get any, explanation ?—"No. I ;.a'sked';hvb officers,' but they could give mo nous.except the opinion that the men had ; probably /been -"worked up." , .'-. ; .. -,:-Lieutenant-Parker: In your .'evidence ■you have , made two conflicting statements. ;First;,you"say that you havo frequently ;iioticed' : a , ~lack:,of discipline, and second 'that-V your have only, twice inspected the company, in ,, five ■ months. ■ ■ ■ ' ■ s ; Witness but I liaye frequently ■"seoii.tho men fiilling-in on tho Uevonpor't boafand elsewhere. ; The men have ofton passed.me, and failed to salute." & ■"■ : -.■.slaj6V:;'Brflithwaite::;AVere : j-ou in' uni-,-;fprni?—"Xo.-jH'v;-^, :,'-■;:-■ ■■'■■}■' /"■:■■!■;. J BjjAycli;--'the men may.;: not have known ■ a 'ypu'?.-r"Perliaps so." ; '. '■ ■'■■' ■ ■..>.■■■■.,. ;.--;;Lieutenaut Parker:' Why did you , not .report-:tho....cainp incident to which yeu refer, attho time that it took .place? ■■'■MVitnessrlf Lieutenant Parker had not .the.hide;of,a. rhinoceros .-.,- " ; .-' -.-■, '-' '■ ft> Major-.-Braithwaite-. Let us keep to the 'businea3''before us. ■ :'\''-."' ~■; I'spent an hour in ■which--I'very forcibly endeavoured to bring ..tbesposition homo to Lieutenant '/Parker.'S-?, -j;'"- ■''■■.■, , ... SLJeute'n'aht'Parker:. Isit"a breach of the:?insulations'-ito. march j -men on- the .footpath'-'when the road is full of mud? ■J^- Major... Braithwaito: It ,is against .the regulations, but tlw. B .- complaint,! is a ..trivialjone.:.:V«'!:;;■■ ■':■[ '*■';' : .-' '■:■../■.. ■<'.■ ;A|iv. on the Footpath. ■■ : s. Captain i-Moikle was the next witness ■questioned by. Major Braithwaite. "The ■captain, related-how, one evening, he had .■seen'vthe company marching on tho foot-vpatli-i instead of on the road. . : -'-'■■■-. ...... ;'■.-; Major,; Braithwaite: Do you consider .-.it : when you see a 'company';' inarching on' the footpathP— :-;"No;?;.but':.I : consider it bad , oominnud, •and-..^'t have , .been informed that, oftor 1 remonstrated'.with .Lieutenant Parker, ho (marched:: th-e ; 'mcn- along the raad awhile, ■''and;. thesKordered.. them back on to the ■.-, ■ ; '.'. l> /- , ' , Vi;Hoiy^;dOSyou* s knew ; :;that , .'he : . did?— :;Licntenhn(ii , '\Vilding : ,':,nnd :' Kirkerh, inJfor'm'cd.'iniojeo)";;^;:- , -!^- , . , ,-.:: , --". .. " ;-, ;i:"And' dp.-yoii;'consider : . that- insubordina■'.tidn,.j. p vt:lsn't : -sit.:yery trivial? Isn't it jmakin'g- ; 'a mountain out of a molehillF— ':-''lt"is just', one: incident--in'a bost."* , - RiveJusiiuoro.—"Tho. wen w«» ;qnco'Vordered"tp:-.;'return to. Auckland by ia.ispecialr'boat,' find ■- some of them re-.''iiiaiuod-ito.go.by-'a latM- bo.it'.": : .' ;; .. , :'■:■'ye.v.hhy-;more. incidenU?-r"l' havo not than any other '/particular- company of 'Territorials.-; Tho ■i'ntftrior« : conomy : xof. the wholo. division :: : is';notVas : good: ! as'it-might be. "I havo : ;ii'eyor:,;uoticec! ■■any'"real hick' of discipline ..inr:Np'.p7." ; Company, ■'? but any-; trouble (■th«i'e;is?rjpiit.down"'.to. lack .of control. ':.T.irelve;.-. : .month3.' ago,-: before Lieutenant ■Parkeritook command, they, were just as js.ubject;: : 'to;..?lackn-ess. as. they arc now." ; slackness more marked in Ko. ■ 7.-iComp'anyi-than- others?—" Yes." ■.■ ■ *. i ,;'-.'Db'tyqiCkiibw., anything of. the reason for ■th'4'inip'n.-not^.turning .up.for the parade ; ipn-:tKo : -Kiug's:■ Birthday?r7"No." ;-■';. : ,'.-. . • .Commanderilntends'to . t: ;.'■' -Evide'nce:."was; also- given-'.by: Lieutenant! : ;Kirktn-,'.aAyiUling';-'' and-. , Parker...' --'-■ .; > : -''Lieu , teniiht-;(T. , tC4 Parker,-., evi',,ilenjeK«l.ated::thatJ lie'; took-command of sit i li , is ,: ''Ne'.HSZcalaml--.' a .;.Coinpany ' in , ■■' June jfilasj?:-.year,Vaiuls the ''discipline' was then i.bndijt'ccauso'tthe coinpany wasin a period ■ ho .handed tho considered i.ttho ■ :iiisciplihp*:J.'pxceilent.';v.' : ,']'ho '.fu-st. that l-hflSha'd.-yhoArd.'aboutta strike was when' ,;he;w:\s;saskod : 'b,v,;'<'>T.: reporter', whether ■ it ?.was'-'truo':that.. , his. , . , company wns on strike. .i-AtWhoNtime that'tlie. article appeared iu =th'e. ; nStar.!.'. ; ,ho';-.-.had ; 'no/idea to «-hat .quito unable f.to'iiaccoiintsforjtbp' noii-at-tvndaiica of the ■fiiiem'atiitWjluns'sf■Birthday • parade. ! ;'he'' : said!'i'.'l.iood-bye." to his mon i)w : stold>»'th6"uioii;:,to "play, tho gamp," .-!niidjthe.n';read:..theT"Distnet Onlor calling .■■uj)oii..thei)v- : to..,pai-Q(le on'. June 3, ! It was ; ;l!is*/iritenlibu;;to'-;ronign;: ; 'consi(ierlnethat ■ an i ; i : injustic'c : i'liadi;-bi'iMi.(louo. to- him by " : .t.i-ansfer.i'inK.''::hiiii., ; to ■■ another. .company, ■aiH!r::replacnig^hi!n"! v by.: ; a, oilicor. ; ! JL'hi>! inoit, ;oF ; i ho-:-.coiupa liy. ■.:would ■ not ;in...iHs;.bpiiii6H,ihbsenfJ't!iems6!vos through :spilo. : .He v :.jvasi,conviiic<jdfhat v thpro wns ■iio:" : .in'leiH.ipii>o:''.'.inuHny,., asia finer and ili>sl.te.r."l;( , li».v'i'd...;lot;-of.-;''.voiiths had- wxev lweii .i'.i.tifler; ■ he had :'ii;i(J ;fp-.uripe'n; v^ors-'"exßFrien'cf.A':- ■■ ■ , : : jyifi--..'.?oncludedf.the'?"iiimiiTy;'''" , and'" the *rinence r '«ui'S-'B»-fuhuiitted to:Ee»dqua*. it«6-:«:'.Wjlliajtoß»X.i- , '-.'.'.-;'': i -. '