THE ORINGI OUTRAGE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 96, 30 April 1913, Page 8

THE ORINGI OUTRAGE.

GENisral godleys statement AX ENQUIRY TO BE HELD. Wellington, April 28. Major-General GodJey made the following statement to-day concerning the reported irregularities and threating of a reporter of tlio Taranaki Dairy News at the Oringi Territorial camp:— “1 have very little to say at prc- j sent about the matter, as it is under j investigation, except that I think the | trouble came in a great measure from reporters being employed in their civilian capacity as such, while -serv-j ing as Territorial soldiers at the annual camp. The citizen soldier must of necessity be both a civilian and a I soldier, but ho cannot satisfactorily he both at the same time, and he should not pursue his. civilian avoca-| tion when at camp as a soldier. If| he does, he is put in a false position, I and unnecessary difficulties are mdol for the military authorities. His com-■ ratios in the ranks, not unnaturally,! resent any criticism of their actions j or publication of any irregularities, they may commit, or of anything that may reflect discredit on their regiment; by one of themselves.

“When a number of high-spirited young men, such as 1 am glad to, say j the New Zealand soldiers are, think that they have cause .for resentment; they are apt to give forcible ex pres-1 sion to it. A point that must beborne in mind is that the Territorials • in question who threatened the reporter did- not do so because he was ; a reporter, as such, but because her

was a comrade .who, in their opinion,

acted like a bird that fouled its own nest. Do not think from this that 1 wish to condone their action. I entirely disapprove of it, and so do practically all the officers and a large majority of the men, and I am taking steps to have the offenders traced and punished.

“I trust that next year the editors of newspapers may he able to see their ,vav to send to the camps one of their senior and most experienced reporters, and on our part, I will undertake that they shall be provided with i tent and rations, and given every facility to see and hear eery thing possible that goes on, from every point of view. We shall bo glad to see a limited number of reporters in camp (say in each district one from each of the leading oa-pers of the big cities, and one from the local paper), as we are only too anxious that the public should know its much as posshle _cf the doings of the citizen army. The camps are on a large scale and involve an expenditure of a considerable sura, of money, and are of great importance to the community, and 1 think the public has reason to expect that it shall get its information about them from experienced and accredited representatives of the press.

The press has always helped up, and 1 hope will do so in this respect. “j do pot think, either, that I, or anyone else connected with the citizen army,, wish any irregularities to be ■hushed up or concealed. We would far rather they were not. We have nothing to fear from publicity. In fact, wo court it. But it is only human nature- that we should prefer any criticisms of our actions or reports of our misdeeds to come from independent civilian outsiders, and not from ourselves. “As regards the irregularities which have undoubtedly occurred at the camp in the Wellington district, the only

comments I have to make are that in the first, instance the disturbance made in Danuevirke was made by about a dozen men, and, in the second iustnace, the moonlight march towards Dauuevirke was made by about fifty men. i have searched all the newspaper accounts for any mention of the numbers concerned, and have rea l them carefully, and am forced to the conclusion that the published accounts are likely to give the public an entirely false impression of the numbers implicated, and of the proportion they' bear to the numbers in

camp. There were 2foo men in camp, and 1 can find no word of commendation of the exemplary conduct of the 2000 odd whose behaviour throughout would ' have done credit to the best-disciplined regular troops. “Personally, except for these few regrettable incidents, confined to small minority, 1 am more than satisfied with the general conduct of the men, and their behaviour as a whole in camp only confirms my appreciation of the. excellent qualities of the young .New Zealander, and of his ap:itude for the duties, of a citizen soldier. 1 spent Friday afternoon walking through the camp, talking to the rank and file of the citizen army. I find everywhere a growing feeling of mutual respect hetweentho officers and men, and I am firmly convined that its discipline will lie of the highest kind, based on the realisation of the necessity for it, and of a willing subordination to authority on the part of the youth of the country, and 1 have no sympathy with the suggestion that penalties are necessary, in, .order to enforce it, or that their applicatio i is the host way to bring home to the Territorial recruits, of which the entire citizen army is at present composed, the realisation of the necessity for it. 1 have, it would seem, more confidence in the good qualities and good sense of the young New Zealander than same of his com pat- i dots, and as long ns I have The bourn to command the New Zealand army! ■ shall prefer to trust to this honor and to that esprit de corps which is being rapidly engendered in all unite of the forces, rather than to disciplinary methods, to make it the best citizen army in tlio world. , As an instance of the way in which these tilings are, no doubt, unintentionally magnified or exaggerated, in a leading article in its issue of April

the Evening Post implies that the I marchers towards Dannevirke had ! gone nine and a-liall miles. The distance l from camp to Dannevirke was six miles only, aud,as a matter of fact, they had gone only about half a mile, and were within the Hue of pickets before tney were stopped by their officers, and that they did return when told to ; by their officers, when it was pointed out to them that they were committing a foolish and undisciplined act. This bears out my contention I tout the New Zealand citizen soldier I has only to be told what is right for i him to do it. J should like in justice I to the men, to call the attention of ! tie public to the fact that two such independent authorities as Police-.! ni spector O’Donovan and the Bov. •!. i A. Luxford, Methodist minister, of high standing in Wanganui, have testified to the general excellence of their behaviour, as also have many other ministers of religion who were present in the camp.”

CHAPLAIN LUXEOii I)‘S S TORY FILTHY LANGUAGE. Wanganui, April 28. The Rev. J. A. Luxford, interviewed by the Chronicle to-night in connection with General Godley’s statement, states that the camp at Oringi, from a military point, was a success. On parade the youths were under discipline, and there was neither a word or an action indicating dissatisfaction. The sick were attended to with despatch. The chaplains received respect from the men and courtesy from the officers, both stall’ and regimental. Every facility was given them for discharging their duties. He considers the reports of the Dannevirke affair are exaggerated.

Mr Luxford says the great majority of the youths were respectable, wellbehaved young fellows, and their conduct was exemplary. He admit that there was a section whose language was filthy in the extreme—“the vilest he had ever hoard.” The whole must not lie judged by the minority. It would be «« unfair as condemning a good poet for one or two had linos. He fears that the alleged attempt C> punish the reporter is true. Against these irregularities, it must bo remembered that hundreds of the young flelows spent their evenings reading, writing and in enjoying wholesome games. He condems the filthy language of the minority, and hopes the bluster, noise and dirty songs of a small section will not be considered the characteristic of the camp. If the authorities will take ■strict' 'action to suppress the language ox the’ bad element,parents will have nothing to fear about the atmosphere of these camps.) if With other chaplains, lie spent' his evenings among the’ young follows,.. -visiting all parts of the damp, andcqould not sec any sigfuhf liquor, Avithnthe exception of two drunks returning from Dannevirke on the last evening after leave. He speaks In glowing terras of the management of the marquees pi evicted by the Presbyterian ’Church and Salvation 1 ' Armyqjj;and advocates a larhek hum hep 1 under the , control ol men of strong personality. The conduct of the youths at Christchurch parades was all ne culd wisn. Ihe pfaybr meetings ; each evening wore well'attended. Eliminate the filthy language and suppress the conduct of the few rowdies who will always be found among a large number, and the camps would be free from objectionable incidents. “Don’t,” lie said, “let us judge the whole by the conduct of the fc\v?”