THE GENERAL SPEAKS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1689, 4 March 1913, Page 7

THE GENERAL SPEAKS.

-4 ON TRENTHAM—I9I3. DIMINISHED ENTRY & WHY. . THE'REAL REASONS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association,) Christchurch, March 3. To-night General Godley made a statement in reply to criticism of the territorial movement and rifle shooting based on tile attendance this year "'at Trcntham. General Godley said:—

"I do not agree with Colonel Collins in thinking that the reason ivhy the entries at Trcntham are less than they were in the old volunteer days is because sufficient encouragement is not given to rifle shooting. On the contrary, during l the past year, rifle clubs have been put on a better footing, have been assigned a more definite placo in. the defence forces of the country, and their entries at Trentham have increased, Tho reason that comparatively few territorials are competing at Trentham this year is the simple and obvious one that practically the whole of the territorial force are recruits, and it is not reasonable to oxpect that, within one year o£ joining tho forco, they can haw reached a sufficiently high standard' of musketry to enable them *to compete in the central championship meeting open, to tho whole of the Dominion. It. would not be possible in a regular army—much less is it possible in a citizen army whose time and opportunities for military instruction aro eo limited. As a matter of fact, tho entries of territorials at their district riflo meetings havo been very satisfactory, and it is very likely that many of them cannot afford tho time to go to both. In any case it is far more important, from the point of view of general efficiency in riflo shooting in tho Dominion, that the territorials should shoot at their local end district rifle meetings, where they can. obtain more individual instruction and supervision from their officers, and from the older members of rifle clubs, and the old volunteers than that they should go to swell the numbers at Trentham; The Trentham meeting should bo the championship mooting of tlie Dominion to which only those who havo proved themselves the best shots in their distriots should go. Its motto should be, 'Quality, not quantity.' "As regards tho romnrks which novo been mado regarding tho employment of Capt. Wallingford I am sorry to say that they are only too true—not only of him, but also of Lieutenants Piose and Hendorson, and of Sergeant-Major Purdora who all havo the similar and equal qualification of Captain Wallingford of having been instructors in musketry at Hvthe, and of being first-rate shots and musketry experts. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to seo these four experts all employed in purely musketry work, but we cannot make bricks without straw, and we cannot have appointments as expert in anything till we have hiotc offi-1 cers. Wo arc so short-handed that wo iiave not even sufficient officers to perform the duties of area group officers and adjutant and. in most cases, these two appointments havo hitherto been duplicated, and have entailed an amount of work on the officers concerned, of which the public have littlf idea. Without these appointments the registration, potting, administration work, and the whole machinery of the scheme would come to a standstill, nnd it is idle to talk of making expert Appointments till tlie absolutely necessary ones are filled. As soon as wo have sufficient officers I hope to make use of tho .services of all four of these musketry experts for purely musketry work. In the meantime, in their capacities as area officers, an important part of their work is the musketry instruction and supervision of the cadets and rifle club? 'in their areas, and mncli ' good musketry work has been done outside iheir immediate areas and with Territorials. bv Lieutenant? Rose and Henderson during tlie last: fow years, and by f'uploin AVnJlingfonl and Sergeant-Major I'urdum nioTe recently. f trust that the time may not; be far distant when more officers will be forthcoming, and It may then be possible to ■rive (heir musketry energies still wider scope.