OUR CITIZEN SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2168, 5 June 1914, Page 8

OUR CITIZEN SOLDIERS

THE RECENT <MPS. REPORT M COMMANDANT- \ . The following report upon the Territorial camps recently held throughout New Zealand has been furnished by Major-General Godley (Commandant of tho Dominion Faroes") to tlio Hon. jas. Allen (Minister of Defence), and was y.?,sta'dny handed by tho Minister to a reporter for publication:— "What arc*probably tho most -important camps ever held in New Zealand have now coacludod. For tlio first time in tlio history of the citizen army all tho troops- in each district, With tho exception of the Garrison Artillery, which camped separately, luivo been assembled in one camp and have thus been, enabled to carry out operations in which horse, foot, and artillery were- combined. Tho camps derived, a very great added iift* portaneq from tho fact that the work done at .'them was -.seen by tlio I-i-iSMc'tof-.Oeiieral ef tlio Oversea Forces (General Sir Inn Hamilton), and that upon his impressions of them the report which lie is to .render to the Imperial Government and to tho Domiiiism Government will be largely based. h\ Canterbury the t-roops of tlio Nelson and Mart' ■ borough Provinces, which with the Cfttt-tc-rbiiry and Westland Provinces form the Canterbury Military District, were camped separately fre-m t-ha remaimug tr-oaps erf tlio distrietj hut in every other case there was on© central earapi for -fiflclt district. In eaffh caso those who were u-nablo to attend ih-s first camp at-t-euded tlio cns-ftal eam.p held m- | mediately afterwards on the . same ground.

"Tho Inspector-General spE-nt days at- tho -camp of th-o Otago district troops, held at Matarae, and saw S5Bl of all ranks at work. O'ji the first day the. troops were engaged by units in praetistag the, attack, and on the seco-nl day t-h : o whofeforses combined ihifiold operations against a. skole-W ei.te.my. "Tho ve%b- oamp, visited vfts that of the Canterbury and West-land . troops, hold at Koivai, >yhoro 2934 men. wero wndtsr canvas, K tras i-ii-teis-ded tdiat fiekl operations should ho carried out here, but the state of the ground uhf.fflrtiwatoly reiid-erod this inatlvisaMe. The Inspectw-GenGra) j-eviowod the troops in camp, and also made the® carry out some- small tactical ptobleros.. ■ "Brecettiing to the camp of the Kelson aiad Maribo-foijgh. .troops at Tapnwera-. Sir lan Hamilton witnessed an attitek by ■ thft t*oops there. * A- regiffiont of _ moiHited rifles, a ba-ter.y'of field artillery. sr;4 a battalion ol ii.ifaiitry, altogetlier'io34 of all rnjiks, par- : ticipatod. . : . ..■

'"lilt! Welliiielvon &o&pi! wore- cetiosftt,rated at Talcapaw-, - .-owl ff«ro in* spected ia camp- by Sir lan FaroHtcm an May a. On the following -Say'field operations wore carried -out-:, 'wlteii 5329 offers and won attended tho cantp. "Two day's wero spent by the I«-spoctnr-Geiicral at tho o-a-mp'' of tiro Auckland troops at Hautapu, On thl first day a ceremonial jratratte *'as. liflkl near tho oamp, a)id on tlio second day tho troops, nuiiihering 487.1,.-carried out field operations., tho Caraal Camps. "At ilio casual camps tiro attendaiiec was as follows:—Ot-asjo, 330; Qantcf* bury, 346; Nolsofi, 113; WeMiugton, 635; Auoklaiid. 199.. Only one of these (at Ta;kaEa«) had the good •fortune to bo seou by Sir 'lira Ilnffiilten. Partietilargffly goad work was dfino by the Otago casuals, who carried out a'thrto days' trek, ftsl.itimi ongage-nients ©n t'ha .second and third clay, pitftiiVg o-u6 i: out* : posts at night, and generally behaving : as they wonkl liav-e to do in aliy euejiiy's . wiirtiy. Tlio men foriag the-sG t'hreo days ftarried their full kit and two days' ■ ttttiorts. "Tlw total liu.iwher rsf Garrison lery seen hv the 'Inspecte-Gonerai sa-s .564, and of the railway batt.aliofts and Post and C'orOs 444; wM«3j : ffives a total altogether of 16,7-32 fc-raops. inspected by lite.

| Cadet l-nsßOctlons. I "la atMitio-fl to the -cltfeen array as ■ abovV coneehtratioils of cadets for inspection by Sir lan Hamilton took place as follow .•—lnvercftraall. 1030; 'DW-tedin, 1S18; .Qaraaru, 445"; Titatrii., flSf); Christenwah, 16S8; Nelson, 6*3; Roteraa. 433; Hamilton, 1070; Auckland, 3712; Hastings, 1226; Palmers-tori ' North* 1084; Wanganui, :5Sf?; Now Plynwuth, 94.0; Wellington, 1304; Mastertoll, 531; Sfojfhpim, 313; making a total of -cadets inspected of ' 17j.505. TJreso fcorocefttratioiis of cftde-tR necessitated the b&y-s coating isi in many cases from considerable-instances. I'rfmftUy oases whore they had to stay the night, 'arrangements for their bifetitig and feeding: were made by the eMI aiitliorities and -eitizens, and tlio Defence Department owes a groat debt of gratitude to all those- wW" assisted in tiife respect. A coirsidoraMe strata was put o'ft tlio organisation-and administration of the Department by having the troops and cadets assembled at practically the saiue time, but tho organisation stood' tlio test, .au-d ge.ljoraily speaking both camps and eoHoeiitrations of ' <?,adots. passed off without a hitsh. SpeoJa'l s-ierifces were afeo tfemawJed frohi eni»; ployoi's for the same reason., hut a,s a ■' rulo they responded ungrudgingly, fln-d atlowe.d ail thesr employees to bo away. as far as was possible.

6»ers Unit frisb.acted. "The lnsp_«t«r-Ge«ei-al saw eveiy UHit of the citizen.} army and every cadot company, and, ec/iisidering the mffiwtltios'o.? coutentrfttion, it is satisfactory that ho should have seeii so large a proportion, »amely,; 35.537 of tfip total strcngtii of 51,561 ol Territorials and cadets, or over 70 per cent. 'Tlteugh tho oamp.s we completed this year earlier than,usual thitherto they havo always- nui into June?, a great deal of bad weather was experienced owing to the winter being exoeptunialty early. But tlio conduct and spirit of the- trops was as. a rule excellent, and tlw« diseo-mfor'cs fsonsequeut on the wet **aMier wero made littne of by thmso who had to bear -them-.'"