THAT MILITARY FORCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8345, 4 February 1913, Page 10

THAT MILITARY FORCE

EXPEDITION ARY TROOPS. A cable message from London announced, that the Hon, James Allen made the following statement to an interviewer: “New Zealand hoped to place an expeditionary force or eight thousand men at the disposal. of the Mother Country, for' service in any part of the Empire.” A “Times” representative yesterday asked the Prime Minister (Hon. W. F. Massey) whether the Minister of De.ence, m making this statement, had the sanction and concurrence of Cabinet ana <he Government? The Prime Minister explained that what Mr Allen had stated was merely a hope that in time of danger New Zealand would furnish a contingent or contingents as was done on the occasion of the South African war, when about this number of volunteer troops was dispatched from New Zealand to tile assistance of tlie Mother Country. The Defence Act did not contemplate the sending of expeditionary forces from the Dominion to places outside, and auch a measure would obviously have to be sanctioned by Parliament. His reading of the cable was that Mr Allen had simply said he hoped the Dominion would on a future occasion, if need be. furnish to the Mother Country aid ■imilar to that provided in the Boer War. • ,