POSITION OF THE MILITARY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1895, 1 November 1913, Page 6

POSITION OF THE MILITARY.

COLONEL HEARD SPEAKS PLAINLY. Cdlonel Heard, Aoting-Commaadant of the Forces, states that it is not correct that the Perm'anent'Forces had been called upon to. serve during the present disturbance. In abatement to the press, Colonel Heard said: • "The military w,ill not bo called out except in the very last resort, tvhon rioters have taken control and cannot be dealt with by the civil authority. Many people do not realise the. seriousness of the position when the military are called put. I have seen it in Ireland and know, what it means, and that it is only as a last emergency that itishbuld bo used. If soldiers and sailors come out they do not come out as police as some people seem to think, simply to look on. Thoy come out as soldiers'' with rifles, ball cartridges, and bayonets, and tliey come out to shoot if called on by the civil power to do so. ."Some people seem to regard the military as bloodthirsty, and think.we like this work. We do not. Wo hate it. We do not want to shoot aiivbody except our country's enemies' We' are as humanitarian as other people and more so than many who have not seen warfare as we have, and who do not realise what it means. But if rioters beyond the control of the civil authority' take charge, and life and property nro in danger, then, and then only, action must be taken by the military, and we have to fight with the weapons placed in our hands. Understand clearly however, I do not want to see this, and I have been doing all in my power to prevent tho possibility of its occurrence. "There is another very serious aspect of the matter that cannot be too strongly emphasised. People do not realise what a' riflo can do. Yesterday in the Post Office Square there were hundreds of people who had no right to be thero —innocent people who were taking no p»rt In tho disturbance. If lbs mattera dwuld kooms n jarioui tkat. t&« min,

thoritics have to take extreme action many of thoso people would be injured. Innocent women and children have no business there, and should bo most emphatically warned to keep away. When tho polico are compelled to chargethe crowd such people suffer with the rest. If they had seen such things as I have seen they would keop right away from the place where they, can do no good. They do not realise how serious sueh affairs can become, and it cannot bo' too strongly urged upon them. "We soldiers are not concerned with strikers as such, and it is not a question of military against strikers, but it is a-question of the military being; used against rioters who are endangormg life and property, and with whom tho police are powerless to deal. In no other circumstances should the military bo used. - ■ "I am informed that a large number of people are in possession of revolvers, and I should liko to warn them that the revolver, except in the hands of an expert, ; s a weapon dangerous to friends as much as to opponents. Tho wild use of revolvers iB to be entirely deprecated." -a