THE TERRITORIALS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 94, 28 April 1913, Page 5

THE TERRITORIALS.

RETURN FROM ORINGI. ! Taranaki’s Territorials returned from camp on Saturday afternoon, looking very lit, and apparently well pleased with their short stay at Oringi. Interviewed by a reporter of the “Stratford Evening Post,” Lieuten-ant-Colonel Malone, officer commanding the 11th Regiment, said that the camp had been a real good one, and he was very pleased with Taranaki’s muster—the largest in a camp of three thousand men. The weather had been perfect. The food was satisfactory, though there was the usual trouble: for civilian cooks to go into camp for a week, cook for seven'hundred and twenty men, and satisfy everyone, was no easy job. The health of the men had been good, the majority of cases of sickness being of a trivial nature. General Godley had expressed pleasure in the work of the brigade as a whole; the General criticised, but did not find fault. THE REPORTER INCIDENT. Colonel Malone stated with regard to the Territorial reporter incident, that the matter had not as yet come before him officially, but that he understood that “B” Company of the 11th Regiment (of which Company the reporter in question is a member), resented some remarks of the pressman’s published in the “Daily News” and decided to punish him privately. When, however, they learnt that other companies were going to administer punishment, their attitude changed, and they adopted the standpoint of “No, you don’t; we spank our own baby.” They then turned out in strength, and fended off all strangers. The action of the men in “B” Company in standing up for their comrade was a most commendable one, and he was very proud of the spirit which prompted their • THE MANOEUVRES. There was general disappointment over the result of the “sham fight.” The 11th Regiment was given a position on the flank—the place of honour as they considered it—and had to travel over rough country. Other regiments had an easy time of it, two of them having to advance the whole way over dead level country, with no obstructions, a third nearly the whole way over the same class of country, while the 11th bad to deal with felled li-treo and scrub, unburnt standing bush, besides hills and gullies. Further, the 11th had to overcome a company of the enemy (a rod flag marking the location of these troops), who blocked their advance. The umpires apparently did not control the advance with the result that when the 11th arrived close to the enemy’s position, the fight was practically over. Hardly a shot was fired by the Taranaki mop,