DEFENCE AFFAIRS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 201, 14 May 1918, Page 6

DEFENCE AFFAIRS

ADMINISTRATION OF THE

CAMPS

COMMANDANTS GIVE EVIDENCE

Tho Defence Expenditure Commission heard further evidence yesterday. Briga-dier-General Sir Robert Audereftn (ohairman) and Mr. Charles Ithodes were tho commissioners sitting; Colonel H. B. Potter, Commandant at Trentliam, ami Colonel N. P. Adams, Commandant at Feathorston, were the witnesses called, and they gave evidence together. Both witnesses 6aid thoy had applied to go to tho war, but had not been allowed to no, being required for duty here. In the case of Colonel Adams there was the additional reason that he was not medically fit. Colonel Potter said that the officers in charge of training at the camps wore responsible in respect of efficiency directly to the Chief of the General Staff. Tho Commandant was responsible for the administration of the camp, and it was Mb duty to see that rbe training; syllabus was carried out. ITo agreed with the chairman that tho position was somewhat anomalous, and that Mt would be better if the Commandant ivero made responsible for everything dono in the camp- He was not consulted about alterations in the 1 mining, syllabus. In these opinions Colonel Adame concurred. Transfer of Troops. Both witnesses said that the transfer Of troops from camp to camp entailed an enormous amount of administrative work on the camp stair. Many men were employed on this eitni work of administration.

The chairman suggested that the number of men on this work wonld be from 50 to 100, but witnesses did not care to offer a suggestion Colonel i-'ottor, said Hint there was no benefit derived from the transfers,. but they had boon given to understand that the medical people insisted upon tho .transfers.

Tho chairman: Then why don't you transfer tb? Home Service men, who have limii there for years? Colonel Potter said that Tronthnm had agreed with hie health, and his staff was alwavs in good health, although tlio bulk of them were "C" class men.

The . chairman asked Colonel Potter what ho knew the instructors who arrived from England in March Inst. No instructions wore received about them. The men were eaoh required to make a statement showing why they had been sent out, and these statements wore sent to Headquarters. It was then ordered that these men would have to go luck as opportunity otferwl, and that they bo (jiven to the Chief infantry Instructor in the meantime to be used.

Tho chairman said that the Cominis. sion had received a letter from Colonel Gibbon stating that advice about the inutructors had come to hiinc. and that they would bo used here as instructors. Allowances to Officers. Witnesses were asked about allowances to officers in camp, but they said that they had nothing to do with this matter. The chairman tuggested that there were many anomalies, sonio captains in cump gutting .is much In pay and allow, ances as licutonant-coloiieis outside ot camp. He learned from witnesses that, generally speaking, officers of level rank in camp and out of camp could be transferred, mid each would after a littlo experience bo ablo to do the other's work. In view of this he stressed the point that there was no reason apparent to him for the great disparity in emoluments. For instance, a Staff Corps captain at Headquarters received £'M, and a captain on tho camp staff received JBS7S. Not Over-staffed. Colonel Potter said that he did not consider his camp was over-staffed. It was a place of concentration and embarkation. The staff had to be larger than for a brigado in camp organieod on the battalion system. If the camp could be organised on that system he womu bo relieved of much work, and would bo able to spare, more time for supervision. Ho thought ho could, without assistance, Bupor'ise tho training at the camp. Colunel Adams .-'greed with this view. He also expressed the opinion thai; tho battalion, system would be botter than that at present followed. However, the present system had been running a long time no'v, and it was a question whether it would bo wise to enter upon the building anu other undertakings necessary to introduce the battalion system. Both witnesses answered in the affirmative a suggestion of the chairman that it would »e a good thing for New Zealand officers to be .;ent to America to learn something of administration and organisation of camps. Colonel Adair.s said that ho could not help feeling tJta an oific r who did not leave New Zealand was apt to Jieuohii' one-sided, acd that if his experience were widened he wouid be a botter officer,, more mluablo to the Dominion. Doth ■witnesses, who have b;cn trained wholly or r/irtly abroad— Colonel Potter in India, snd Colonel idams in England—agreed with the chairman's idea (hut more benefit would accrue to New Zeuhnd by tho sending of their own officers) abroad for training-, .is iviscructow or administrators, thhn by the bringing hero of British officers Jor thtee duties

The staffs of the Uo camps combined, it was stilled, numbered 1810, of iritich 1100 were at iratiierslon, csViuni'vo of the canLen stuff, who were paid out ol' cautKii funds, Mid i.ot ])y the State These wero the stalls for considerably ie*i than 10,000 trainees.

Colonel Adams agreed that the battalion oi'frauisdtion would tliminiiti.- some of the men, but v.ot all of them, for eome of tha men included in tiiu total here would not be shown in battalion establishments. The men doing oartuye, the men shingling the roads, and the mon on works, would not l>o- included :

battalion organisation, but ijiDj' were included in the figures given. Colonel Potter said it would not be possible to reduce the camp staffs und'.r present methods He i. greed that the battalion system would decentralise administration, but as to wither it would rove in numbers of etaflr—this would depend on the staff ullowed for a battalion. The Ration Scales. Colonel Adams {rave the ration scales nt Sling and in New Zoahiml, showing that, although me hmlo in Now Zealand was almost double the allowed scale at Sling', the actual drawings in New Ze<ilnud, except in meit, butter, bread, and potatoes, wcro not greatly in excess of the Sling coale, and were much below tho Sling scale in othec items

Colonel Adams's Military Record. Colonel Adnine mentioned (lie statement made iu evidence before the Coinmission by Captain Frank Hudson in l'almerston, that his (Colonel Adams) total nervicu was lour years with i. Battery, Mew Zealand Meld Artillery. Hβ wished to deny this statement ae being wholly incurred, He bewail his military career as a cadet at college from 1890 to ISIOO, whon ho went to Cambridge University. There he joined tho Volunteer Mounted llille Corps, and in his final years at the University commanded the Mounted ltifles. During !irs lour years nt Cambridge he attended the School of Musketry at .Hythe. At the expiration of this period lie. transferred to the "King's Colonials," now ''King Edward's Horse," as a subaltern, and served in tliia corps from 1905 to Kill, during which time he went through a partial veterinary course and a signalling course, and was attached for three consecutive manoeuvres to the Household Cavalry, once as a staff officer. In addition, he nil ended as a stall' officer at two German nianuoovres. But for this exporioncn in England he would not be able to do his present duties. About Instructors, Colonel Potter was asked about instructors without war service. Ho said I hut there were men with war service who wero splendid fighters, woll skilled iu their work, but yot who had no facility in instruction and handliug of men. M'on without war service might get liottcr results than such men. Ho admitted, however, that the men in tho ranks were rather more likely to do their best for men who had had experience of "the real thing"—tliie for reasons which were purely sentimental. The Commission will probably conclude the honring of evidence to-day.