RURAL SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1644, 10 January 1913, Page 4

RURAL SOLDIERS

■ A TALK WITH GENERAL GODLEIV

At Stratford oil Tuesday, Major-Qoncral Godlcjr discussed defenoo-foroo Battora with the fanners. The Commandant was introduced to tho g'athosring' by. Mr, Ji B, .< Hino, M.P. ' Mr. Jamcs Knowlos,, of Tarild, pointed out to tho Commandant that the annual' Oamp practifcally denudod tlia district of young men,, Supposing that at tho timo of the camp, ho were himself unable, on ;, ' nocouht.of ill-Waith, to carry.,' on tho farm, would it beeompuluory for kip onq eon to attend tfc& camp and' leavo tho • farm and the large hem of.oows with nfl' ■: i" •>:• ••>/«)?'• AccordlDff ,to Uie travelling correspond} . ; > cnt Of tho Wangaiiui "Chroniole/? . . General ■ Godl,ey replied, that: if the soa-. was .literally and absolutely, tho 'onl/, ' prson'cabaMo' of looting 'rifwithe farm tie would,. not, have' to . attend oarap, v( \'*But," he added, "fro trust to you not to net for exemption unless it .is 1 literally. Impossible to carry on." . ; v Mr. Knowles: I'll stand to you there, sir,\ . General' Gtodley: "And we'll stand 'td ' ' vou." Cases of that kind, 1 he added, wonld bo taken ; on their merits, and, tho officers .<• . Would not so act as to wing the Vork of: tho farm to a standstill. Of course, absence of ft inani from camp was a : bai thing for tho wheme, for it meant that; ■ ho didVnot get tho week's training .that was really the "goodness" jof tho scheme. Drill, in noils was well in its way, but tho • • ;t> thing that was.going, to make for the good defence of this oountry was tho organise ' r f - i tion' of 'tho largo bodies of mbn in camp;' '■ " whero they would do in camp and hr the 1 field' what they would have !to do on • actual,Gorvico. It was impossible to make * an army without this; There was no finer 1 v regiment than tho Taianaki Rifles, -ho said. Unless the Territorial wont into

oamp ho "would loso touch with his com« v rades, loso touch with his section, would' miss that esprit do corps which resulted from camp lifo and field servicpi ho would v not get to know his officers,_ ov his officers i i m, to knowhim. Ho trusted that no request for leave would bo mlido except in an

exlremo case. 'v : V '■ ' %' General GodJey did not favour.the fow, mation of rifle clubs, (instead of establish* ing 'drill centres), > oxoept in. very isolated i places: Ho 60t liis faco strongly , Against > losing the services of the men in . tlio lack-Mocks. They wore tlio; lx?st men In > the Territorials. "They, aro- tho -best fellows; of oourso they are; I would rather have'.seven or eight of thorn than ■ fiftj] ~ from somo towns."