GARRISON OFFICERS' CLUB.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1862, 23 September 1913, Page 4

GARRISON OFFICERS' CLUB.

Sir, —Kindly grant me space for a few comments in reply to your correspondent "Spion Kop" in Saturday's issue. The whole history leading up to tho trouble at the Garrison Officers' Club is too long to explain fully in your columns, but I should liko briefly to lot your readers see a littlo of tho other side of tho matter. Tlio Wellington Garrison Officers' Club has been in existenco for many years, and included in its niles is, and always has boen, a provision for ballot (if necessary) in tho case of now members. In 1912 tho officer about whom tho present trouble is being caused was proposed as a member of the club, and although his nomination form was posted in tho club-rooms for some weeks it failed to find a seconder, and according to tho rulos consequently lapsed. Then tho Officer Commanding tho District took a hand, and ordered the club to admit this officer. Upon his again being nominated for membership this year, a ballot was demanded and held (tho first in tho history of the club), with the expected result that tho officer in question was blackballed by a large majority of members. The members of the club maintain, and rightly so I consider, that no one has a right to dictate to tnem who they shall admit to the club. The fact appears to be quite overlooked that tho members, of the club include many officers who have given up the best part of their lives to the service, no doubt to tlio detriment of their own business oareers. Tho club, although occupying rooms on Government property, is kept alive by tho officors' own subscriptions, out of which they havo purchased a piano, furniture, and what promises to be a very valuable military library.' Furthermore, it might be news to your readors to loam that the club receivos very littlo assistanco from the officers at Headquarters, most of tho lectures at the club rooms being given by Territorial officers. In fact, lam informod that out of a whole series of lectures last session, only two were delivered by officors on tho Headquarters staff. I admit it ia a most serious thing to blackball a man at any time, but surely it must be admitted that the members of this club would not have taken this extreme, and, to them, unpleasant stop, without very good reason. Liko "Spion Kop" I, too, know every detail or what has, in connection with this business, and without furthor going into details I can assuro your • readers that there were good grounds for the action taken. The wretched insinuation of your correspondent re giving "many more dotails in connection with the club, and the action of certain officers" is as contemptible as it is misleading, but is one that can safely be made at any time by an unscrupulous anonymous writer, with the knowledge that _he cannot bo called upon to substantiate same. In conclusion, let /me assuro your readors that there is absolutely no such thing as military caste in tho Garrison Offi'oors' Club, nor is thoro, as has-also beon suggested, any opposition or illfeeling towards officers of tho Senior Cadets, a number of whom are members or the club. ■ : That the members of the Wellington .Garrison Officers' Club _ have a sound reason for their action is evident from the fact that they are prepared to sacrifice the privilege they now enjoy, and go to tho expense of procuring premises outside the Garrison Hall, rather than' havo to admit to their club one particular individual.—l am, etc., KATJRI-GTIM. Sir,— "Spion Kop" has .written to your paper in an attempt to invoke public sympathy for the "blackballed" officer. Being interested in_ military matters, and knowing something about the position, I am naturally anxious that tho' case for the defence should also bo put before your readers. In the first place, the club is a private one. "It was formed by enthusiastic volunteer officers with their own money and in N their own time. Tho only assistance received from tho Defence Department was the grant of a room in which to hold meetings, etc. Tho rule ro balloting for members has always been included in the rules, which rules were approved by tho Commandant,. and until the recent episode no trouble was experienced. Surely the mombers of the -club are best able to judge the case on its merits. "Spion Kop" says it is a serious matter to blackball an officer. So it is, and if 'he knows anything about tho matter he must admit that it waß not done without earnest consideration. The plain fact is tho man's presence is not desired in tho club, and the club does not intend to admit him.

Headquarters have ruled, and rightly so, that bo long as the club uses a defenco room, all officers must be eligible for membership. The officers agree to this, and intend to put thoir hands iu their pockets once more and engage in quarters elsewhere. Does not tin's show their determination, and does it not also prove that they must have a sufficiently strong caso when they are willing to forgo the uso of rooms so well suited to their needs ? It might be just as well to state that the "blackballed" officer is the same individual who adversely criticised the General's administration through the columns of the press some time ago. His grievances not being upheld, he resigned his commission, but after tendering to tho Commandant a humble apology (also through tho columns of the press) he was reinstated. "Spion ICop" talks about disobedience of ordora. Why, writing to the press like this man did was a distinct and serious breach of orders. As a matter of fact the man has a grievance; always has had a grievanco, and always will have a grievance. A man like that is no good to any club. Now, the question of class distinction has been raised. In submitting this argument, "Spion Kop" has absolutely no case. Tho social position held by tlio "blackballed" officer is much superior to positions hold by many members of the club, so you see that is not the reason. Again, it has been said that Senior Cadet officers are not wanted in tho club. This is untruo; all Senior Cadet officers, with the one exception, are welcome to the club's membership, and many of them are members.

So ,-far as the remarks of Messrs. Payne and Robertson, M.P.'s, are concerned —well, who takes any notice of them? As Socialists they aro against, tho defcnco schemo, and it only shows how weak a caso this officer has when lie can only got Socialists to air his grievance. It is a. fact, but unfortunately not a recognised fact, that Territorial officors sacrifice both 'time and money in carrying out their duties. This being so, tho.v are not going to bo dictated to by Socialist M.P.'s who happen, by force of circumstances, to havo secured a scat in the Houso of Parliament tor tho timo being. Colonel Allen, Minister for Defence, knows the facts of the case and has adopted the right attitude.—l am, etc., PATRIOT.

SHOULD- MAJORITIES RULE ON ,EVERY QUESTION? Sir, —Tho rov. organiser from Australia. of tho Bible-in-Schools League has repeatedly asserted tlfat majorities should rule, on every question without exception. He camo here —unasked, manifestly, with tho kind intention of enlightening, us, just as did Messrs. Scoto Bennett and R. Semple—both from Australia also; so that now, with three ex-Australiau agitators amongst us as enligb.tcners, we should be changing, or have, changed our views on various matters, for the bettor —or the worsen Stationary, owing to the kind iniiuonco of tho tlireo agitators, or selfconstituted onlightcnera, from Australia, tlioy could not have remained. During my sojourn in different parts of Australia, I was'often surprised at the judgments expressed by even members of Parliament on the backwardness or ignorance of Now Zealanders, which I always strongly resented; but evidently such views still prevail thero, as otherwise' wo should not have beon .now blessed, or cursed, by the presence amongst us of these three lians. Two of these nre now dismissed from notice, while admitting that they achieved some sort of success —at Waihi and Reefton, for examples, amongst a portion of our population, for which that portion has had to suffer dearly. Tho third, the last to arrivo amongst us, unenlightened creatures as we must havo been assumed to bo, the Rov. Ca.non Garland, calls for more particular remark. He is urging tlio doctrine, previously here unknown, of tho referendum or right of the majority to rulo on every question—a right that the first of .European statesmon, probably, Mr. Ascfuith, denounced recently _ in tho strangest terms, saying that it was the destruction of Parliament, which, of course, it is. Your readers may recollect the following occurrence in Auckland; .three men .left Queen Street for homo together, and on arriving at a side street, two o:f them knocked the third down, and robbed him of £18 6s—being in a majority of two to one, or 66 2-3rds, they must have considered they had a right to rule; being in such a majority regarding the matter of, tho third man's r,aonoy. Yet 'his Honour, Judgo Edwards, not being fully swayed by the Rev. Canon's new doctrine, committed the two to prison for six months, whore they now reside. I have been rather fond of reading aocounts of Eastern peoples and' their customs, of the Arabian Bedouins particularly. When a caravan is seen by a "band of robbers approaching tho band counts very accurately tho number of persons accompanying tho caravan, and if these are too numerous, or seem too nvunerims, tho robber baud allows them to pais on to Medina or Mecca, unmolested; but if' not considered too numerous tho robber band _ attacks thein, takes possession l of their camels and ■ goods, acting on the principlo of tho greatest good for tho greatest number, as that which Sir John Findlay recently upheld in the "New Zealand Times," paying no furthor attention'to the fate of tho despoiled poor wretchcs. A robbor band frequently attacks a caravan without having bo •large a pcrcentago as 75 on its side, and in that respect sets tho Rov. Canon Garland and tho Bible Leaguers an example in a matter of courage. Tho language of tho Bedouins, liko that, of tlio latter, is wanting in threo words—justice, religion, and 'conscience —although to givo tho Bedouins their duo, they sometimes talk of a conscience after, but not before, the robbery had been committed. Tho most notable caso of tho taking of a referendum was Pilato's, when ho referred tho saving of tho lifo of either Barabbaa or the Best of Beings to tho voto of the multitude, which unanimously voted in favour of Barabbas —a mtfrderer. Such aro' instances of tho ruling by majorities. That some ministers of the rcli- ; gion of that Best of Beings that ever ■ touched this earth should now bo clamouring for anothor referendum, like that taken by Pilate, is surely appalling ; but such is the fact. Up to the present I havo never known New Zealanders to learn anything good from Australians, and no Now Zealanders have ever gone, unasked and un- ' wanted, to agitato, and, presumably, enlighten the Australians; yet New Zealand is made a dumping-ground for uninvited and unwanted agitators, selfconstituted eulighteners of us from Australia. To tho heading of letter, however, I claim your readers' attention.— I am, etc., • D. O'DONOGHUE. [It lias been shown again and again that Canon Garland did not como hero uninvited; but, on the contrary, in response to" a pressing invitation from thoso advocating Bible lessons in State schools.]