NEW ZEALAND'S PART

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2423, 31 March 1915, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND'S PART

* NOT HANGING BACK WHAT W fIAVE DONE STATEMENT BY HON. J. ALLEN 'An interesting and enlightening statement, clearing up many points about wliioh patriotic people havo been more or less in doubt, was made by the Minister of Defence yesterday, in reply to a. newspaper article which 6eem r ed to suggest that New Zealand was not doing enough to help the Mother Country in the great war. "It is inaccurate to say that we aro waiting for the Mother Country to ask ■ue," said Mr. Allen. "Wo are continually suggesting that we should do something more;' and the Mother Country is every now and then accepting our suggestions. It is wholly inaccurate to say : that w©'Have done nothing more than we promised to do. My agreement at'Homb was for a definite Expeditionary Force. In addition to that arrangement, we havo sent fifteen other units. We have sent two extra batteries with the main foroe, and also two additional batteries" with the ' later drafts—one howitzer battery and on© 18-pounder battery. We have sent ' two mobile •veterinary sections. ' We have two • .veterinary sections. We have sent one Field Engineering Company, and we have sent an Army Service Corps Company to Egypt.. We have also- supplied troops to' fill up another Field Engineers Company, and an Army Service Corps Company formed in Egypt, and we have had to send more men from here to take the places of these troops. lii addition to the guns I have men-, tioned, we have, at our own suggestion,'sent two extra guns to' Egypt for training purposes. We are sending, in the course of a few days, fifty nurses; this is entirely our own suggestion,'and twelve nurses-to Australia (this is also our own suggestion) to supplement the Australian nurses who have gone to the front. We shall also send a stationary hospital (which is'also our own suggestion). Whereas our agreement was for 5 per cent, reinforcements monthly, we : ihave sent 15 per cent, reinforcements monthly. The Nursing Servloe. ! Supplementing the above remarks, the Minister stated that, with regard ■to hospital accommodation and nurses, ,ivhen the Right Hon. Mr. l'isher was in . New Zealand a communication was sent to him offering New Zealand nurses for servi6e at the Commonwealth (Base Hospital in France. Mr. t Fisher, communicated with the Minister of Defence. (Mr. Pearce), and was unable at ithat time to accept any New Zealand nurses. Recently a cablegram was received, from the Prime Minister of the saying: "Opportunity can bo now_ afforded, nurses from New •Zealand to join Nursing Service Australian Imperial Force if desired. ■ Positions as follows can be made available — ■namely, two sister and ten staff nurses. jThey must hold qualification certificate, training medical and surgical nursiing in general hospital not less than 100 beds. Must be unmarried, between ages of 25 and 35. Must pass full ■stringent examination as for life assurance. • Pay of sisters 65.,. plus 35.. 6d. ifield allowance; staff nurses,3s.'4d.,plus 3s. 6d. field allowance. Allowance for uniform £15. Pay takes effect from the date .of ,embarkation .on transport in Austrar lia. . "Uniforms special Australian-Army " 'Nursing Service. Terms of service du-ration-of .the war."- The cable also .said that it was "advisable the nurses should, reach Australia fry the end of ''March." As this was not possible, a telegram was sent to Mr. Fisher saying "the nurses could leave New Zealand on (April 1, and asking if this would be suitable. , A reply, has not yet, come to hand. New Zealand will pay the ..passages of the nurses to Australia. It is already known that 50 nurses from •New Zealand are about to leave in the Rotorua on April 8 for England, for service as the Army Council, may direct. A Stationary Hospital. "From communications that were addressed to me it seemed possible --that the Army Council would accept an offer for hospital accommodation from New Zealand if it were offered. Accordingly I telegraphed to the Army Council on March 5j as follows:—'Please inform me have you sufficient general hospital accommodation in Egypt, including nurses, orderlies, and equipment?' "I again telegraphed them on March 10 as follows:—'Should be glad to receive an early reply to my telegram of March 5 in respect to hospital accommodation Egypt. ■ New Zealand' will be glad to assist in provision of hospital accommodation Egypt or elsewhere to best of its ability if you will ;let us know what you considor we should '-supply. Would offer of stationary hospital or clearing hospital' meet case? "Please state probable cost equipment -;and maintenance.' "To this, on March.) 28, the r Army .Council sent the following reply.— -'•'With reference to yours of March 10, stationary hospital would be "accepted gratefully.' - "On March 29 I cabled as follows: — ''■'Firstly; personnel stationary hospital -will be provided. Dato and sailing arrangements will be_ communicated to you as soon as possible. Please say if the hospital is interned for Egypt or elsewhere. Secondly, fifty nurses are sailing for England by Rotorua, April B.' This personnel means: Eight officers including. one lieutenant-colonel, two majors, four captains, and subalterns, one quartermaster, and one iwarrant officer (ward officer). Our Contribution of Men. "It is quite inaccurate to say th&t 'New Zealand's contribution remains the same, in spite of the occasion baring ■pioved greater than was expected. Our contribution has been gradually increased, more than doubled, and from •time to time New Zealand.has made additions to. its original troops. 1 tako it to be my business as Minister of ■ Defence not only to do everything that is possible for the Imperial Government ■at. this time, but to see that tho defence of our own country is not weakened at the same time, so as to place us in an improper .position in case of an attack. I am perfectly well aware that rt'here is little possibility of an attack 'just. now. • At the same timo 'a break away in tho North Sea is possible if not prabable.' I liavo quoted these .words because rliey come to me from my responsible advisers, and that adviser also warns me that we certainly should not send the remaining gnns which are in New Zealand. I am not tied by this advico, but there is grave responsibility. Comparison with other Dominions. "I am unable to give the total number of troops that have gone away, bccau.se the Imperial authorities do not wish it to be known, but I can say without any shfidow of a doubt that New Zealand's effort is greater in proportion fthan the Dominion,of Canada nr tho Commonwealth of Australia, and that we B.re not resting but are constantly watcli--1 Lng to see what more we can do. I :,can say this with a knowledge of what the Domirilbn of Canada has sent to tho front and what Australia has sent and is likely to sond. The question is not resrulated by the supply of officers

for training, because ample number of officers are offering for service. Rides the . Chief Need. "lie question is to a certain extent regulated by the supply of guns and rifles. I regret that my hand, should bo forced to make any statement upon this matter, and I can only make wliat I deem to be essential. It is well known that during my tour through Canada I was exceptionally fortunate in securing some 15,000 rifles, practically speaking, «3 a gift, because they only cost a dollar apiece ivith their bayonets and scabbards. AVlien in London I also bought a goodly number of rifles, and as a matter of fact, since this Government has been in office it has nearly doubled the quantity of small arms hi Now Zealand. On fcho outbreak of "war I cabled to Canada asking them if they "would supply mo with inoro rifles, and the answer -was 'No.' I have niado every effort to secure rifles in -England, and the demands are bo great for their own requirements that it would ho unfair for mo to bring any more pressure to bear than I have already done to secure rifles in England. I have never hinted that tho question is regulated by the stocks of dyes in tho country "with "which to manufacture the khaki to clothe the troops. The khaki is coming forward from all of our mills, -or most of them at any rate, satisfactorily. 1 Keep up Establishment. "I hope it will not be urged that it is not the proper thing to keep up a regular number of reinforcements. From information that has come to me, with regard to one lot of troops, at anyrate, that Vent to assist the Mother Country, the very fact that reinforcements were not amply provided for seemed likely to hamper their usefulness. Lord Kitchener wanted plenty of men, but he also laid stress upon the necessity for filling up the ranks depleted by the sick and the wounded. The essential thing is to have a powerful enough body of men, guns, and munitions to strike with and to maintain that body of men up to its strength and to keep up the supply of guns and munitions, and gradually increase each of theseThat is what Lord Kitchener is aim- • ing at, and that is what New Zealand is helping him to do. We are not overcome by difficulties nor frightened by the difficulties. The difficulties as they have arisen have been met and well met, and I make no boast of what has been done, but I can give the assurance to tie public that New Zealand is doing its duty. Things We Know. "I make no comparison between the effort of New Zealand and the effort of the Motherland, partly because.l am not fully acquainted with the effort of tiio Motherland. I do not know how many men the Mother Country has sent to (the front, and how many men they have in training. I do know as a positive fact that only a few weeks ago men who had been training in England were without rifles for many months, and were drilling with air guns.' ' "I do know the number of men we have sent and the number of men we propose to send, but I cannot 1 give it away. "Our Territorial force has been brought up approximately to its fullstrength, or very nearly to its full strength of 30,000 men. Our Senior Cadet training is eoinc on, and tie full number are being trained, and even better trained, than they were beforethe war broke out. Our rifle clubs have increased, and all these are part of our home defence, _ and they havo to be taken into consideration when the comparison is>made as to what the Mother Country is doing."