CANADA'S RESPONSE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2302, 9 November 1914, Page 6

CANADA'S RESPONSE

READY TO SEND 500,000 MEN COLONEL HUGHES IN NEW YORK. . Canada is willing and able to furnish 600,000 picked men to fight for the Allied nations against Germany and Austria if the British Government needs that many, according to Colonel Samuel Hughes, tho Canadian Minister of Milir tia, who sailed for. England from New York on October 7, on the White Star Line steamship Cedric. Talking to a ' 'New • York Evening Post'' reporter, Colonel Hughes said he was going to England for a rest, and that if he could arrange it he would return to Canada : within two weeks. But when he said he was going abroad for a rest'he winked, and later intimated that it was not out of the boands of-possibility that he might have something to say to the British War Office, if the authorities there .were sufficiently interested to listen to him. _ _ \' ■■ ■ j He is a i big, jovial man, somewhat beyond middle age, with the bronzed cheeks and well-set-up figure of a man who has been.in the habit of spending a great amount of time outdoors. His name was not on the'passenger list, and when found.he was talking to several Canadian officers who were on their way to the front. Colonel'Hughes, in fact, propounded the first question.' . "Have you heard from our Canadian contingent in Europe?" he asked. "It is about time they were beginning to figure in the action."- ' Will he Heard from Soon. When informed that no definite newß of the contingent had been received thus far, he said he had an idea they iyould be felt by the enemy when (he time came for them to enter battle. •,', "They are all crack shots,'? he said, "and trained to the minute. When .we supplement their numbers with the additional volunteers'who aro now in camp at Valcavtier we shall have about fifty thousand men.at the front, and good men, too—the best in the world."

"How many soldiers will Canada send to'the front?" he was asked "That," he replied,' "depends upon what the British Government wishes of lis. . We could send enough men to add the finishing touches to Germany without assistance either from England or France. Or to set down a definite figure we can- supply the Government with 600,000 picked men. This number will not be required of us, however, nor anything like this number. ' But they are available. . Why, we have been turning men away from' the recruiting offices, good men, too. When the call for 'the last expeditionary force of 22,000 men was issued, we were fairly swept off our feet. :We had to throw them off the-trains; there were too many of them,: we didn't even allow them to como near us. As it. was, while calling for 22,000 men we were simply obliged to accept 33,000, who are now in camp at Valcartier. Besides that we have sent 1000 men to Bermuda to relieve the garrison there, and we have 8000 trained men on guard duty.

"The work of preparing our soldiers to go to the front is proceeding rapidly; men have been selected with reference to their knowledge cf the use of the rifle, and we are developing marksmanship so' that when the' force leaves for England there will bo a generally high average of shooting. We-have three and a half miles' of target ranges at Valcartier, and, in. fact, all sorts of equipment for.turning out well-trained soldiers in the shortest, possible time." Colonel Hughes said that this camp had not yet been abandoned, but if a new expeditionary force is raised, «.s 'seems likely, sites will be selected, in regions less affected by rigorous winter weather. .

"Whatever I do in London." concluded Colonel Hughes, "I shall do one thins; with great vigour—rest. I am tired. Perhaps ,1 don't look it, but I am." At first I intended to go deer, hunting in the North-west, but de'erImntiji? is not good this year, so I decided' to take an ocean trip."' Colonel Hughes' winked again.