TROOPS AT TAKAPAU

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2137, 1 May 1914, Page 8

TROOPS AT TAKAPAU

MODERN INFANTRY

DOUBLE COMPANIES & PLATOONS

6000 MEN TO-NIC3HT. (By Telegraph.—Special Reporter.) . Taliapati Oam'p, April 30. Tii<! inclonyciit weather lias lieeii dispelled, and Tabaiiau military camp has sctt-M down to hard work In beautiful sunshine, 'fo-day tho suoiintatl brigades, advanced a stage further'in their work, and went on to squadron training. Sodji after 9 a.m. the SJtli Mounted Rifles sot out for Mangetaivai, Mr. Price's property, about four miles away, s.u.d - vwro out all (lay, rohtrimsg just before 5 o'clock. They tfl.ik a wagon with them, containing the mid-day inea.l, and were thus enabled to go through the day without, interruption. The 6t]i Mounted Rifles were out in the viemity of Meant Butler, white the 2mt Mounted β-egi-iiiait were nearest the camp site. They worked in nil. area adjoining tho Imiiicwhere"they were busy morning ami afternoon, returning to lunch bended by Colonel Chaytor, who had been out to inspect them, The men formed an imposing body, and wsro for the most part well horsed. In their training they showed quick perception of the reasons for tho orders and acted well in tuiboii. Composed mostly of country men, they rode in a soldierly manner, and when the eoncoried action takes place during ffio visit of the InspeciorCteiieral, the combination should Is? very effective. The mounted signal company was alsp busy at telephone ajid signal work, About 400 men were at the camp rifle range taking their musketry course, and, for this, tlie old ktll's-cyo target has been dispensed with, and small figure, targets were utilised. Into those the men poured round after round at a raugo of slightly mtder thirty yards. Whatgood tliis 4ms is a controversial subject, but- the service oenflitwns at this initial stage seem <jf but fcttlo practical lic-iieflt. A good number of targets were- perforated.

After the German Model, The most interesting , phase of tlio day's -operations was tlio training carried out Efy the. 31th (Taraiiald)' Itegiiwcnfr—the only infantry regujient which Ims lintdied mobilising, 'flso regiment is about 800 strong in camp, and for Uio first time paraded under the donblocenipiuiy. system. This lifts heen introduced ktb tho New Zealand forces in conformity with the English organise-, ticm, which is in turn a partial copy '.ram Germany, If, ; s claimed that it has been a success iu Engkntlj but whether it will prove- so hero is 4. debatable point. Jlaiiy officers qualified to express an opfnion 1-ioM to the vie* that the companies will prove too cuiflbersoine liiWer the old system tiie battalion, with an. estab-KshisuMit of owe thousand men was divided into eight cmiipaiiies. Ttie number of companies lias now licm 4vcroased by half, and the nurnu-rica-l strewgth of eacli company ims beet.i doubted. This morning the 11th Hogiliicnt paraded in f-ocr companies of JSOO men each. There is one point in favour of the new orgaiiiaatioii. I'reviottslv only thr-eo efficei-s were mounted—tho c-nmtiiaflding officer, the juJjatniit, and tho senior major. Now. in acldiiion ciich of the four cmnpaiiios is in oliavge of a liMitMitod officer, the companies aro divW into four pJatoohs, ami ft platoon ofteer lioads each. In aetaal feperations . tho double comtiaiiy has this , to oommesid it, tlia-t each company forms a I fniriy sireup; iiglitinq: unit, whfcreas tlm , old l companies, aoUng in sepuration. were too weak numeriraH'v to stand .'llono. Tlio nth EegiixioHt aAiptcd t'licniEolvcs well to tlio new coaditio-ns. In the morning they paraded under tiio now system, and tl)on<tevetecl some t'utie' to company and squad drill. Again, in the afternoon they Fell in en the -p-afadn ground , inwk'r tlie new forinatioiij andwere watchwl by all tbe infantrynie.ii ill camp. Fi'om the time tliafc ike order] to fall in was given UH every man stood I rtt attention occupied 2J- . mimites—e highly .creditablo perforiHimce. Ttifcn the men marched the length of tlio parado ground in excellent alignment. Colonel Citnj'tor, divisional eanvma-iveier, with Captain O. T. Hall onjorjy officer, and Colonel R. W. Tait coinwumding tlio infantry brigade,' wore interested; spfictators from tile .headquarters ground wlticli overlooked the parade. Colonel Cliaytov a?)rt Cctenel botii pleased with tho manner if! which tlio regittreiit worked, ainl tlw former expr'eesed the opinion that they were a tine comniAittl.

Everybody's Friend. The work of the Army Service Corp* at the Matarao camp, iii tho Smith Islam!, has received the .approval of General "Hamilton, who hApect-eil Aβ camp on Tuesday. At Takapau lie will Had all Army Service Corps which has done excellent work iu tho face of many obstacles. This is in a large, measure duo to a namesake of tlie .Insp'jctor-Gen-eral's uninesalcq, Cnptajit N-- C. Hnmirfon, Assistant, Direetoi- of Supplies Mid' Transport for _ the Wellington district. Captain Hamilton is at present trying to establish tho corps on a -sound footing. Ho has jtist enough Territorials (23) with feonfc to copo with tlvo work. These men leave on May o (by which timo ihey will bo well rersetl • in army service corp work) and will he replaced by another detachment which -will be absolutely wow to the work,

For IKs Mess Table. Much of the. running of the camp rests ' with the Arm,y Service Corps, They find all food supplies, ;iwd they work on « good; system. About four tons of moat comjo to tho supply headquarters every day, and this is out up by tko butchers and distributed abeut 8 o'clock to all tire, units. The meat, haK mutton and half beef, is suptiiiod locally, and is el :>. very high quality as indeed are ati the's-upjilies. About 3700 loavfs of bread, tirriv-o every day from Daiinevirke, ami this is at.cnco stilt rouud to tko units in wafions. Gfoceries. afo stored as sUppUcfl by the contractors, and aivi issued according to ind-GBts sent in froiu the units. Frc-sU.milU arfiv-es ia camp daily, Tlie- transport, which was 'wither ina.ckquato at firsi, liavv comprises '20 wagons. At first it slumbered 17 γ-e--hides, fifteen beiiic hired, while two ljplongetl to the R.'NJ.A, Tlso iiMro>ised number was procured in anticipation of the arrival of tiio -extra- men who will come into camp to-niorroiv. All supplies, with i-ho •cxncjrtioM of grain, .come from Between Napier an-! Palmerston.

6000 hten To-rfigiit. To-day, roughly, 3000 nreji will come into camp, those comprising infantry.' eiiEjineofS, and fti'tjlle-rymmi. About SCO men from Wellington, being tho main body of tiw Gth will arrii'o curly to-uiorraw and, by niftht> fall, fully 31)00 iiifairtrvrawj "will 'Iw muter entivas, Hiftiving n combined rump of about six thousand men. D nftimtain battery, of 115 men, will also arrive from ■ :

personnel o-F iiia Sliiff,

With iiir- full fanip in order-, tho stiilf wtil hayn n tnis.v time. Jfc is its follows:—CniMmftildina: Uw Divisihi'• Chloiicl V.. VV. C. Chn,v!or: Genora-i Stall OfficDf: Major A. C. 'tVniprvlrT Norfolk l?e?imnnt; A.A.C and Q.JF.Gi. Captain , . J. T. Iteswortti; orderly offiosr,' Captain/!. *]'. Hall; Assisbnt t)ii*p. !<=;■ of JlcdiVsl Servieos: I/ictiL-Cnl. M. I!«ec; Assistant Dikctor of Svui\A\m ifiiff Trnnspftft. , , Caiitaiu N, C, Hamilton; Provist iiafshal: Ca-pta-iaG-

C, I'owles; Divisional Musketry, Lμ- ' strirctor: -Captain J. Jl. Kosc; J>lstriei Acemnita'tit: Captain 8. V, Trask. When Sir lan Hamilton arrives nest wooirlw v.-iJI not stay at Ihejiamji, but will be the Rucst E-? Mr. Sydney Johnston. :ts also will , the Minister of De> fp.'ice (Hon. Jas. Alien), and MajorOonernl GocHcy. The ether staff -officers will also tic- the guests, of various residents in-the vicinity. ftl and injured cases. Advices from WaipukuraH Hospital arc to the effect- tUat lliltcisan -Liftb, who was admitted from the camp for J what was thought to bo appendicitis, ]Ki-s.sed a good night, the indisposition being only of a mild nature. Trooper Mack-stock, who narrowly escaped fatal Injuries while shoeing a horse, is also doi»g well. Umpires for the Big Day, i The following is the list of npipirfis i for Tuesday, May 6 — tins occasion ftf ', the uispoetfen by Sir Lin Hamilton ■— Chief umpire; Colonel 15. S. Heard, liwcrial (icneraj Staff. Brown Force, senior imijiire: Oo'lofteJ, G. I' , . C. ■ Campbell, V,D. (Wellington . Coast Defence Coinmaiiifor). Assistant ittnpircs: Headquarters. Infantry Briwwle: Major l< , .■ E. JolipstoM (North Staflrordshito Regiment, India); 2nd ■ fWoilinaton and West Coast) Momrto-i ttiiies, Major A. B. Herbert 9ft {Wei* linaton am! East Coast Mounted Rifes) ; Mil fjlanawattt) Movmtod Biflcs, Captain G. W. BracMel! (Staif Corps); 9th nyelliu«toß and East Coast) Mounted Rifles, Captain C. G, J'owles (Staff Corps): Field Artillery' Brigade-, Cap- : tain. A, C. C. Stevens (Staff Carps).; rtlf*< Wellington and West Co-a-st) Eegiracnt. Major A. G. Ikore; 9th (Hawke's Bay) Re-Rinic-tit, 3fajor A. A. CwigaH 6th (Wellington) Regiment; 17th <Rtiahino) Begjii-iciit, Captain J. M. Hrtso (Staff Corps); 11th Rcdmeivt (Taraii-aki K.ilfes). Jlajor H. If. Sky, 17th (R-ua-hhvo) Rop;inre«t. ' White Force.—Senior umpire,- Lieat.* 001. G. N. - Johnston, R.A, Assistant niiiiii-res: sth (WfelHiigtpH) Hogijupiit, Captaia H. M. Edwnrds, Ro/nJ EuKinecrs; "C" Sqnadrou 9th {Wojlington), Major B. Head, st.'h ikttaliciii (East Coast) Mounted β-iflcs, , Royal Welsh Fusiliers. , OFF TD THE FRONT, 1 WELLINGTON TROOPS ENTRAIN. The Fifth licgiwent- par.idefl at tho litorndwi Station at 9 oVloek, wlicro tliey entraised for Tajf-ilpau, Alt'> gctlier it was- 'fesppct/ad tbfft the.' special ft'ain wliich Mi Wrflington aboiiii 10 p.m. ,w<sald carry 800 lYi-en to Tabapau. but somo of tlieso were t-o lye fcol-kic'ied fit wyys-ijo st-ation-fi. Lieutenant-Colonel Turner was "u\ toiiw mam! -of tlio de.tachiii&nt, Oajiis-in "Wft* kiii-son i directed the entraining, and. Lisuteiiant Pattielc was transport officer. With tho regi.iiioiit went ban<J, under Bandmaster 'srCoiriis]).« a«d the Eughieers, unf-ter CapW-n Gibbe-s. Ttot train cn-s to stop • at PalmeJston North to ajteff the inpii to got rcfi'os-limeijte, .and the camp shovild ho reached at 8 a.m. to-day, : iho 13 Battery wil! parade at 'riiQfndf)). , . Station: at 7.30 this morn-tug, to loavo for -Takapatt at aliout, 8 a.m. . . Last evening. 44 Territorials left Potent, wliilo 40 wont from liojv'&r Ijirt't and 10. from Ngdiawansa for tho camp.