ARMY TRAINING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 250, 19 September 1940, Page 8

ARMY TRAINING.

WORK AT TRENTHAM. VALUABLE INSTRUCTION. WELLINGTON, Sept. 19. Newspaper proprietors, _ managers, and editors from many parts of New Zealand, attending the half-yearly conference of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, yesterday paid a visit of inspection to the Army School of Instruction, Trentham Camp. They were accompanied by two members of the War Cabinet—the Minister of Defence (Hon. F. Jones) and the Leader of the Opposition (Hon. A. Hamilton). Tho commandant of the school (Major A. H. Sugden) and other officers escorted them and explained the activities of the school. At tho close of their tour of the departments of the school, the visitors were addressed by the Minister of Defence in the Y.M.C.A. canteen. The school, he said, bad been established for a number of years, and had trained a very largo number of officers and non-commisisoned officers for the expeditionary and Territorial forces. It also gave courses of specialised training in artillery and other work. The men went away better educated and better fitted for what they had to undertake. They had been very fortunate, Mr Jones said, in the staff of the school. Both tho officers commanding, Major Brooks, who had now gone overseas, and Major Sugden, had proved themselves very efficient. When the First Echelon was recruited, the officers had only a few weeks at the Army School, yet the value of the training was shown when the Echelon went into camp. The Second Echelon officers liad a longer period of training, and those oi\tlie Third had three months, and this showed up in the training of the men. The school comprised the old Trentham Camp hutments, remodelled to bring them up to date for instructional purposes and accommodation. He referred to the pride taken by those concerned in the beautification and smart appearance of the camp.

EQUIPMENT PROBLEM. . Equipment had been one of the.main problems since he became Minister, said Mr Jones. Orders were on the books when he assumed office, and further orders had been placed since, but there -was. difficulty in obtaining equipment. This applied also to other parts of the British Commonwealth. Large quantities of equipment were on order, but Britain at present needed so mueli herself, especially after the losses in the evacuation of Dunkirk. However what had been heard sincewas most encouraging. Our troops in England and Egypt were being rapidly equipped with the most modern weapons. When Britain had filled her own needs, one could be sure she -would not be long in filling those of the other parts of the Commonwealth. ' , „

Clothing manufacturers had been doing a big job in equipping, not only the troops here, but also the men of the Territorial forces and the forces overseas, the Army, Navy, and Air Force. With the co-operation of all sections of the community, this biotask had been made very much lmhter’ Co-operation by producers and manufacturers w r as a great thinoi Th Vo e r^n year New ?eafand would have 43,DU0 men under arms the greatest part of wdiom -would have had at least three months’ training. When that was done, we would have a splendid force tor the defence of the Do minion. It was true we were short ot some kinds of equipment, but it was not our. fault, nor was. the shortage confined to New Zealand. We had men, as had been shown, and their valuewould soon be proved in Greit Britain and m Egypt. 'jreat Sir Cecii Leys thanked the Minister and Major Sugden. He said all that they had heard about the Army School w’as most favourable 001