OUR CITIZEN ARMY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1905, 13 November 1913, Page 5

OUR CITIZEN ARMY.

GENERAL GODLEY'S REVIEW, Jlajor-Genc-ral Godley, C.8., contributes to the curent issue of tlie Army Review an interesting article on "Tlhn Making of tho New Zealand Citizen Army."

Concerning tho military spirit, ho writes: "An excellent spirit pervades all ranks, and, as a rule, tho personal servico required is given cheerfully and ungrudgingly. Picture shows and other diversions arc a counter-attraction to the evening drill in the towns, but on tho whole the town youth is not found too reluctant to give thorn up for one night in the week. In the country a case came under my notice lately where a cadet, whose father eould not provide liira with any means of locomotion, lived 12 miles from the nearest drill centre. Somehow or other, either walking or getting lifts, he was a regular attendant at drill. The rest of the hoys of his company were so pleased with him that they subscribed and bought him a pony. This is a very fair samplo of tho spirit that obtains in the country districts.

"At the annual camps I cannot speak too highly of the zeal, energy, and goodwill which I find everywhere oil the part of botli' instructors and recruits, of which latter—bo it remembered—the whole army is still practically composed. The progress made in tho 18 months during which the army lias been in training if v , in consequence, far greater than I had anticipated or would have thought possible, and there is no doubt that the young New Zealaitder has a remarkablo aptitude for soldiering. "The general physique of the men is excellent, and their conduct is on the whole exemplary. That the few breaches of discipline which have occurred have been made much of by the anti-militar-ists and by tho press is due to their standing out in sharp relief to the excellent all round belwviotir of the trooptf as a whole.

"To liave seen, as I did this year, 2000 cadets at the King's Birthday par-, ado at Auckland, marching past the Governor, in their tidy khaki shirts and shorts, with a bearing which slwwed that they were proud to be the budding' defenders of their country; the Wellington Infantry Brigade, 27G0 strong, executing an attack across intricate country in a stylo which would havo.doiie no discredit to regular troops; 3000 men of both mounted and infantry brigades of tho Canterbury district naarchifiji through Christchurch amidst the cheers of their follow citizens, who had crowded the streets to see them; and nearly 10(10 well-mounted mm of tho Otago Mounted Rifles Brigade manoeuvring, in workmanlike fashion, in a country well suited to tho tactics of that arm, could, I think, leave little doubt iii the mind of an intelligent observer as to tho future of the Now Zealand Citizen Army. '

"All young men belong to it. rich and poor, high and low, with no distinctions,of class and occupation, and all are treated alike. Commissions ore obtainable only through the ranks and l;.v competitive examination, both written and practical, and in the future I lrlievo that tho best brains so obtained fiom all classes of tho community will render tho New Zealand citizen offiner capablo of lending ami instructing his men, and ko doing justice to the splendid material of which the New Zealand Citizen Army is undoubtedly composed."