N.Z. MEN ENLISTING IN AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2519, 14 July 1915, Page 10

N.Z. MEN ENLISTING IN AUSTRALIA

ONE OF THE CAUSES

QUESTION IN THE HOUSE

A' question was asked in the House yesterday concerning the report that New Zealandcrs arc going to Australia at their own expense and enlisting ill the Commonwealth Forces. The Defence -Minister stated one of the reasons which had impelled certain meu to ,go to Australia. •

Mr.. A. JI. Myers asked tie Defence Minister whether his attention had been called to the statement in the Australian Press that New Zealanders had gone to the Commonwealth at their own expense to enlist, because .they wanted to get into training'without delay, and saw no prospect in New Zealand; It this were correct, would the Government consider the establishment. of further training camps—say, one in Auckland and one in Canterbury? ' • Thi> Hon. J. Allen' said he believed there were some New . Zealanders who had gone to enlist-in Australia, where the proccss of enlistment was different from that in Now Zealand. Here there' was a, well-thought-out scheme in accordance with the desire of Lord Kitchener, and its aim was to keep up li continual stream of reinforcements. It was so essential for' :the . success of the scheme to keep these reinforcements up that ho would regret any attempt in New Zealand to. bring into training a large, number, of men. to increase, the main: body. If this were done," the reinforcements would not be : kept up and the position would be weakened instead of strengthened. He hoped the House would not endorse, any such suggestion; .Ho had many letters from the Iniperial..'authorities, from General Godley. arid from l General Birdwood .to ask that the reinforcements should bo continued. , . , ' An hori. member: What about Kitchener's appeal?, Mr. Allen said .that this meant, that in, England_ tho steady, reinforcements were not .being kept up in the way that they were'in New Zealand, and they had to. make > special, appeal to get them,. Tho same '-was] tile case in Australia. A scheme of two-monthly reinforcements had been designed in New Zealand, and the Department <ould' carry; it out if. -it were,V not 1 interfered with. He hoped there would be no attempt to interfere with the well-thought-out scheme? ..He would lay on the'-table a memorandum on the whole subject by the Chief of the' General Staff. - ■ , Mr. , Myers : ''That's'not an answer to m.y question. These, m'en are desirous' of registering at once,. and they have to go to Australia. Mr.-Allen: I think yon should -understand. the system of enlistment. Mr. Myers: As well as you dol Mr. Allen said ' that; the Government, had asked for • all able-bodied men to put their names oh the; registration lists. They were advised not' to leave their work till called- upon, and '.were asked' liow much' 'notice they , would require. He was sorry that he 6hould be called upon to make these things publie, but if he wero harried in ' such a manner lie 'had to make a statement about' the reason why some men- went to. Australia. ' An ion. member: Don't ' lcoep it secret! ■ - Mr. Allen:'l. will make a- statement, v Mr.: Kiissell: : Don't say ihything'-fool-lsh an-d put' on to us. '. Mr., Alien 1 : said tliat thore were men going to Australia who had come from tlie'iront invalided,' through tiieir own fault. He was, not agreeable to- re: enlistinc;' them—— , ■' Dr. Newman: Why not, if they'are efficient? . . ■• ; Mr. Allen said that if such men put the country to the expense of'training I them, sending them to. Egypt, and) bringing tliem back again,'.they -had,to > ;®^> 'and .a way of 'doing so was to:keep them;in' private life.for a time before allowing them to re-enlist. Such I men did not .want to go back to their own districts.. They , went to Austra..An hon. member: Do you throw,.that I Blur 1 on all who go to Australia ? ■ Mt. AVilford: You will be. answered about tliat. '' ■ ■ Allen said that li© referred only I to some of the men., ■ • ;1 Mr. I am glad you have qualinea tiie statement;; . . 4 . At a later stage Mr., G. W. Russell' lererred to .the answer given to a question by Mr. A. M. Myers, in connection with the offers made by young New Zealanders in ' Australia "to join the forces,- He need hardly-.say that the answer given had caused! the deepest pain l , and would create consternation throughout New Zealand. Ho had said that a number of our young- men who had gone to Australia were • men who had returned ,to New Zealand in a state of health that rendered; them deserving of. punishment, and that disease had been incurred by their own misconduct. 'He thought the matter could not be left in thai, position. That would be a charge every young New Zealander who offered his services in Australia would have to purge himself of. He-suggested the Minister ; should clear the matter up at once by producing a return showing the number of persons so, affected who had applied for service and! liad been refused. He (Mr. Russell) could not believe that there could be more than a very few.' He felt that the remarks,-would stand as a charge against our . young men who had gone to Australia inspired only bv the highest spirit of patriotism, and who'had been' disappointed by not being able to get into camp in New Zealand at once.

Mr. A. M. Myers'said that he had heard tho answer with a great deal of, regret. The' point he raised was that a large number of New' Zealand men had been enlisting in' Australia because they could join with. greater expediency there. He further suggested that a camp might be_ sot up here to allow the men who enlisted to go into camp at once. There might be military reasons against that, but lie thought if local camps in the. North Islana aiid South Island were, set up it would be a good stop. It was worthy of consideration to go deeply into that question of forming local camps.

The Service of Medloal Men. \ Dr. Thacker. tliought_ that there had been no 1 adequate consideration of tho services of medical men in New Zealand, and some of the best men had gone away from here to offer their services elsewhere. Ho also took exception to

the fact that young.house surgeons and students forced through their studies were taken by New Zealand before many of tho most experienced men, who had to go Home to give their services. He thought the whole medical profession in New Zealand should be organised, as bad been done in Australia. The B.M.A. in Wellington could bo approaehed, and they Would speak for the whole profession in New Zealand. If those men had

not been ignored they would have had several camps through New Zealand, and nurso orderlies would have been trained in their duties.

Dr. Newman deprccatcd charges made by the Opposition members that the Government members treated the matter with levity. The Government side was as eympath«tio as tho'other'-side. At tho same time lie neliiM . to, the laqt Jjfltj jtjwn -ineyitabla t&afcdisewa.

would break out when they had large bodies of mcu congregated together. THE MINISTER IN REPLY. OUR SYSTEM OF REINFORCE- , MENTS. Tho Minister of Dot'ence (tho Hon. James Allen) was granted tlio last ten minutes or the afternoon, session to reply to the various points. Regarding tlio New Zealanders who Lad gone to Australia, lie said that .he Lad nofc wiinted to. make any statement in respect to some of tliem, but it had been dragged out of liim. Ho did not want members to think that there were many of. them, but there were a few who lie could not allow to. reinlist hero, and they had expressed their intention of going to Australia', to enlist tlicre. 'As to the general question of registration, ho said that our policy, in his opinion, was a sound policy: They bad a long list of those willing to go forward, and could secure their policy for months to come. That was What they were asked to do, and they felt that tliey could carry out their policy. Every letter lie got from General Godley and General Birdwood asked: liim to keep 011 sending trained reinforcements. They were not asking for men in the senso of wanting further battalions, but tliey wanted reinforcements ■ every two months. As to-tho question of local training camps the memorandum on the provision of reinforcements drafts, which was to be laid' on the, table, would give the opinion of tlio Chief of the General'Statf. . ,' / Troubles at Trontham. The Minister; added that ho hoped to be able in a day or two to put a report before the House 011 the reasons of the movement from -Trentham camp, and he hoped to showed that the, conditions at Trentham were not what they had been implied to be. The inquiry into Trentham would come before the Royal Commission, and lie would only feel satisfied himself when everything that could be known about Trentham was ma/do known to tlio public, and when ' they might discover .the real cause of, tho trouble, and be ablo to effectively treat it.

He did not lmow what the medical profession had_ to: be aggrieved about. Thero was 110 intention oil tho part of his Department to ignore their services, but the lion, members . had to" understand that the medical men had to volunteer to . act. :Jn the .early stages his 'Department had found it extremely difficult to got thenv to go. , Dr. Thacker:-Not recently. •■ Mr. Allen: Nothere have been more volunteering recently/ but iu the early stages we found.it difficult to get medi--' cal men to go. He added that they would have to call upon tho medical profession during the next six months for a considerable miniber of men to go with the Reinforcements., They had asked the medical men-to'volunteer to make up the 100 men-the British authorities had asked us for, and the'list was not full.

Tlie Aid of Doctors, Witlr- regard to: the British Medical Association, lie said ho had heard tlieir story the previous day. from a deputation, arid had arranged for, a conference; He had asked the deputation how many members of tho British Medical Associa- : tion would join the New Zealand Medical Corps. Woulipthey all join? The reply, was that tlioy would not. Then, ho had informed them that lie would be glad if medical men would :, register their names for service in the .Medical Corps. Those who registered aiid were called upon would: be'- given / military rank and pay. It had. also been agreed that those medical men who could not join the N.Z. Medical Corps would render honorary medical service, as they did: in tho general . hospitals. It had been stated that , the Victoria Ward in the : Wellington -Hospital' was, solely under the control of military officers. This was not. so. It was, said that honorary medical men were not allowed to go there.' This was not, so. The ward was under the control of Dr. Barclay, the medical superintendent,, and' arrangements had been made to give Dr. Barclay a higher military rank than, that' of the military medical men going thoro. This ivould give .him authority over them.