The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1914. GENERAL HAMILTON’S REPORT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 53, 24 June 1914, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1914. GENERAL HAMILTON’S REPORT.

The report ol t!jie Inspector-General of Military Forces which lias just been handed to the Government contains a good deal of interesting matter, and while candidly critical on points which need criticism, contains many useful suggestions. General Sir lan Hamilton has the advantage of a wide experience in organisation and actual service in the held, and with his practical knowledge of effective military work, after seeing for himself what material New Zealand has at her disposal for defence purposes, he does not advocate any costly or ambitious additions to the scheme now in operation. In this the country is at one with him. Many people think that we have gone quite far enough already in this direction. New Zealand is a very young country, and it is folly to expect too much at this present stage of our development. General Hamilton expresses sympathy with those who quite reasonably contend we are spending as much as we should, to say the least, on land defence, and intimates that lie has no desire that his report shall bo used as a handle for increasing the already large expenditure. While we believe the large majority of New Zealanders have no real objection to the present system of military service, and recognise that a well-equipped and properly developed force is, under the conditions in which we live, a necessity for the safety and well-being of our country, they cannot help but fool that the burden of cost may become almost too heavy to be borne, and to find that General Hamilton desires greater efficiency and thoroughness without any serious and expensive extension of the scheme is at least gratifying. General Hamilton holds that the main thing at present is to build firmly on a sound foundation, leaving the scheme to develop with the natural growth of the country, and that it will become more self-reliant as the process of training is perfected, so that regimental officer# will «»*u be eapablw ol

taking more complete charge without so much aid from Imperial officers as they now require. It is certainly again satisfactory to know that the Inspec-tor-General is of opinion that our defence force is well armed, well equipped and that the material is second to none in the world. On the whole he appears to have been very favorably impressed by Xew Zealand’s military, so far as the men themselves are concerned, and in the possibilities of their higher training. Naturally, as might have been expected, he refers to the need of better discipline and the relation of such to patriotism. The beauty of discipline is not so readily recognised in these newer countries.