THE TERRITORIALS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2188, 29 June 1914, Page 6

THE TERRITORIALS

MARKED PROGRESS

COLONEL HEABD'S VIEWS

DUTY OF THE CITIZENS

The Chief of the General Staff , and Director of Staff Duties and Military Training (Colonel J5. S. Heiitd), who rcccivcu his appointment with the J\ T ew Zealand Defence Department on October 14, 1910, leaves for England, via Sydney, on July 10. Colonel Hoard iias been associated with the Kew Zealand Defence Forces since the inception of the Territorial system, and during tlfe time has had ample opportunity of watching the progress rilgcle, . Colonel Heard-has grafted an in-* terview to The DominiOX, in view of his pending departure from New Zealand, and has made many interesting comments on the Territorials. :

"I have seen tho scheme from its beginning," he said, "and of course there wt-re many dimcflfttes to be Kteed. First of all there were th-.v groat- fpiestionsof organisation and adinitiistfatlon. Tlio whole subject was gone into very carefully, at the inception of the scheme, for until it was property fixed you could- not expect airy setenc to run. The organisation was fixed practically on Home lines, and the difficulty really is the which deals with such, things as discipline, the ration.ing of men and foraging of horses, establishment of camps, finance, and matters connected with the legal >s«!o of the scheme, etc. Unless the administration is properly thought. oui, ~a»d carried out, ..it is difficult to do tiro rest of tjie. work necessary, for the ejflciency of the Farce's;; ..All this, since the beginning of'the sch'eijte, has .been working very well. Those who know anything' about it. never expected to ge;tthe best results' straight away/ One requires patience, and pet'severing efforts w hen one knows that wo are dealing with 'an entirely new situation; a .situ--ation which up to now has been entirely foreign with Britislr ideas, or what arcs imagined to be 8..tu1. 1 . "

Defence of the Country. "The citizens 'of a cotmiry should not' be satisfied to. relegate the defence of their country to file public .spirit awl patriotism of a fev' iwßvWitak," V6.Htinued Colonel Heard, "It .should he recognised as the honourable. duty of every citizen.' If one keeps this sentiment'ill vio\v olio need not loolv Upon usiv.ersa,! training : foi; sqlf-dafenp# as Utf-BfiMslt, for,. all. ; said and\d<>iH\ ifi. other matters Jhe British' citizen" has a 'high, sense of his duty. ~ The' expression 'compuloory:- training?.. appears'' to bs- disiigfeeahle _to i certain section of the tea* ■ mimity. The' word 'coajiilsofy.' in this connection) is' never used by tlie .mili-. tary authorities of ih.is cotiivtry. ■We prefer' the term ,'uiimU'Sul traiwing.', as more suited to tlflj case. Viriversirf training for defence gives efte more the idea of performing a duty, rather than undertaking au unpleasant task.. In the. same sense wo have universal education, 'and universal pajaijent- of' taxes, but there. does not- appear t';>, be. the same objection to: those by a' section <rf the'commuiiity as there is to tmiversai' training." Rapid Progress Made. Dealing with the Cadets and the Territorials, the Chief of' tho General Staff said that in the_ three years and a liiilf during which lid had hail experience <rf the organisation, _ tie advance in military knowledge, discipline!, and the feeling of esprit de c.Qi-ps had been very distinct, and iliore rapid than one could have hoped for. As regawied diseipluie, •the idea that seemed to obtaiii ariioßgsfc. certain sections'of tiio British camimmity was that discipline could jiot bfl ill-' culcated except with difficulty, in the minds of the colonial; Thai was entirely incorrect. 'Everyone know that, tb.e colonial, from, his d'effioerffitie upbringing, had a different Seii.se of indepfaidence to that, of his brothers 6i. the Old Country. It might, therefore., appear that to. the colonial th'f: idea of discipline might be. distasteful, mid therefore irksome. When tke coi'oWrtl saw far himself the necessity of .discipline) .iml that military work, in nil its branches, could not be carried out without it, l® had sense and reason enowrh to submit himself to that discipline, without which, to use a platitude. "an army is only an armed rabble. '

"Tlio progress iii training is..very marked.said Colonel Heard, who adeted that it was specially 60 with tlio Cadets. _ "The Territorials have undertaken, in their annual camps, field operations of an advanced ordeir.. It may appear to some that they have teen learning to ruil before ihev can walk, but the colonial i? iiatif rally a nick iti picking up work in. the ftdM'; kit this work in the field cannot really be «f value till he lias been thoroughly grounded in drill, and especially in. Musketry. ' A Word for tho Officer. "As regards tho officers, both of the Cadets and Territorials, a large '.lumber obtained their commlssisfis without any previous experience. At first-, as vtbs only to .be expected.., they fiSWii great difficulty in carrying out. their work of instruction and ad'ifliiMstratkm, jiufc by dint of hard work aiid attendance at course of instruction (of whirls they can. not have too many), they are making a, rapid improvement. Tlieir difficulties arc appreciated, and their efforts fully recognised, but the- officers fiiust make every effort that lies within tlieir power to get into complete touch and s\mpathy witli the Men who.ti fritey may have some day to- lead in. war. Therein lies the steiigtli of the officer of the regular Army, :whOj 'in Qirery way, identifies himself with the men la® commands, joins with them ht their games, and practically stands to then; in. loco parentis. That is Vliy the ropular soldier will follow Ins officer, anywhere. In camps* as well.as in. quarters, th« offie* er's first.care is the 111011 he commands, as the first care of the good cavalryman is his horse." The Duty ?.f N.D.Q.'s. Questioned regarding., the shortage, of officers, for the Territorial Forces, Ci}3« onel Heard .said that . the.. shurtag& which at present existed was gradually decreasing, and they hoped to--success* fully/compete with. it. by tho appointments to fiKt.c9inm.iss : io'tt,- thtaugimm* petitive examination, amongst the 'N.C.O.'s of 'the TerJ'itotiats ait - the .Cadets.' It was only natural thai; such! a shortage should exist, owir.g to tlio sudden expansion ift strength of the Forces of the Dominion, from the Volunteer to the Territorial hash.

W 7 ill the N.C.O.'s continue after tlieir time of servie-e has '©xpirerl? Colonel Heard was asked. , -

He replied that the officiercv of the Territorials would dcnciul largely, oil tho well trained ■ nodv of experienced N.C.O.'s, iciftout vrlip.se Assistance the officers ecuild not. train their men. It was to hes hopo.d, thert-for?-. tliat the N.C.O.'s in the Territorial Force would be imbued with the necessary keenness and interest isi their work to induce thetfi to stay i» the Force , after tliey 'had eomplttcd thenperiod of statutory sorvkv rmperral Men. As regarded the- sjliieers. of thfi New Zealand St»lf Co,vps liiu'l N.C.O.'s «ii" the Permanent Staff, it itnjiessible to give them suflieiont credit for tho ox-' tremely hard work that Utfcv Iwwl, jnit in. in administering and training tli.q Cadets and Territoficsk.. Their duties were very trying, but ih.-y gave their time cheerfully and Vii.oie-lic:n'ti'diy to the work that was Wove them. Tho country was to be cangratuhii'jd ©a tins very escclleut body d onsen isiid

NuO.Q.'s of the New Zoakutd St-n.fi; Corps aiut Permanent Staff. Colon ai Beard is of opinion tli.it the N. 55. Stai'f Carps opens tip* very good career for young men who are capable enough to pass into tlw Royal AustraHan Military College p-i JJnatroon. The .young officers v.'ouTtl joiit the New Zealand .Stuff Carps from the/<.|pl)6K«> <W<l they ivovttij bo of a very highly trained order. The country need jwvo no apprehension as to the efficiency <'f fttturo oiStfcrs in tho New iSoalan-d Staff Cams. Although in. the Mitre the services of the hiiK.'rinl officer as an < x.peri to assist in tlio administration ami training of. the military force of th« Dwntiiiofi won hi 110 loiiwpf hs required, Colonel Heard felt that In the interests of both the Imperial Army and the Now_ Zealand military forces it was essential that there should lie. a system oi <:Sciiai!|-;e between the c-ffteers of berth. flm eHperieiwe gained oit both sides would bo very valuable.