EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1803, 16 July 1913, Page 7

EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

-♦ - AN OFFICIAL REFERENCE. In his annual report upon tho Defence Forces of the Dominion, presented to Parliament yesterday, General Godley has the following note up'on tho muchdiscussed expeditionary force:— "If the experience of t'lio South African war, whsn New Zealand loyally cainc to tho support of the Mother Country, may bo taken as a guide, it is fair to assume that, in the event of tho Empire becoming engaged in a serious war, wliere the preservation of its existence is at stake, there would be an instant demand on the part of tho people of,th» Dominion for-tho dispatch of troops to assist tho Mother Country. "The value of any assistance, howover willingly and enthusiastically given, will bo greatly lessened if not altogether nullified, by waiting till tho actual outbreak of hostilities. "It has therefore becomo necessary to ■work out thoroughly in pe-aco timo full and complete plans (organisation, transport, equipment, etc.) for an overseas expeditionary force, in order that efficient machinery may exist for tho immediate execution of the wishes of the people. This previous preparation will, moreover, result in a very large saving of expenditure. "Such an. expeditionary force will consist entirely of those serving Territorials who come forward and offer themselves for cervices overseas to assist the Mother Country to preserve tho integrity of tho British Empiro in timo of great emergency."