ON THE SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 21 August 1917, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

NORWEGIAN STEAMER SUNK

COPENHAGEN, August 10

The Norwegian steamer Taddal was submarined off the French coast. The crew were rescued.

GENERAL CRITICISED. ■i - y —" ~ ALLEGED UNPOPULARITY. i NEW ZEALAND COMMANDER. Some very plain speaking was indulged in by Mr! C .J. Parr, regarding General Godley, in his speech in Parliament on Friday afternoon. “It is a most unfortunate thing for this countriy that General Godley should still command our army at the front'’ he said, “ I knew before I went to England last year that the general was unpopular with the returned soldiers. Ninety per cent, at least of the officers and men who have returned all say hard things. Last year J had the opportunity of talking with hundreds of men and many officers, not only at the front but in camps and in hospitals. Everywhere I found the same feeling, The general possessed neither the regard nor the respect of his men. There was a feeling of unconcealed hostility towards him and bitter dislike among all ranks. This feeling of intense dislike was not now. It began in Egypt and grew under the experiences of Gallipoli, and has become even stronger in France and England. I would not mention the subject at all, but that I am convinced that the Government ought to take notice of this thing and not ignore it. (Hear, hear.) “The feeling against the general is universal, persistent and, I think, in? eradicable. It has persisted for three years. I feel sure that a difficulty of some kind might have arisen but for the fact that we have been served by twm excellent officers in Generals Russell and Richardson in England and France —(hear, hear) — who are immediately under General Godley, and who do all the rough spade work. One cannot speak too highly of their services. They possess not only the respect but the warm esteem of their various commands. There is much the same spirit for them as the Australians have to General Birdwood. General Godley commands the New Zealand Army, and he ought to give a chance to promising New Zealanders to learn staff ‘ work. The New Zealand Division is one-third of General Godley’s Army Corps, and at least a third of his staff ought to be New Zealanders. General Godley further owes all his recent titles and decorations to he fact that he is the commander of the New Zealand Array and, in common fairness, he should give New Zealand men the first chance for these positions, instead of excluding thm in favour of young Englishmen of good family connections. This is the sort of thing that galls our men.

“I have heard it said that General Godley stands well with the War Office, and, must be a good soldier. I admit that General Godley has always exercised great tact and dipomacy in dealing with his superiors. If half that tact and diplomacy were exercised in dealing with the rank and file, there would be less compaint. (Hear, hear). “The Minister ought to take steps,” concuded Mr Parr, “to have General Godley promote!! to some other command, and have the Anzacs reunited under General Birdwood. (Hear, hearj'. Our glorious comradeship with the Australians at Gallipoi should be perpetuated, and every New Zeaander would fight with much more satisfacion were he under the Australian general who is beloved by ali ranks for his human quaities.” (Hear, hear). / Mr R. McCallum (Wairau), who visited the New Zealand Army while it was quartered in Eygpt, rebuked Mr Parr for what he described as an unwarrantable attack on a high Imperial officer. General Godley was not under the control of the New Zealand Government, but under the Imperial Government. It was, perhaps, true that General Godley was unpopular with his officers. Mr Parr: And with the whole army.

“He is not unpoplar with the whole army. That is a gross exaggeration,” said Mr McCallum, who went on to say. that it was General Godley’s zeal for the welfare of the men in his command that made him unpopular with his officers. There was occasional talk among the men about General Godley. but a lot of this was encouraged by officers who did not like the general, .n't there were men who talked about General Godley. who had never met him and had no chance of ever meeting him. He thought it was exceedingly regrettable that this attack had been made on a very worthy officer.

Real old matured Malt Vinegar.' Taht’s Tjotus Brand.

THE NEW ZEALANDERS

AN 'AUSTRALIAN

APPRECIATION,

Although the part played by the Now Zealanders in the taking of Messinos has been made clear to everybody, it may be worth while to say that there is not likely lo be any mistake made by the Australian publih. The London correspondent of the Argus, in an excellent description of the fighting, outlines the plan of attack, noting that the New Zealanders were put up against the steepest part of the ridge, with Messines at their objective. There can be no doubt (he says) that the New Zealanders had the toughest job. Equally, there can be no doubt, that they carried it through with splendid success. A correspondent who was present tells that the German guns facing the New Zealanders were quicker in getting to work and loss helpless than on some parts of the attack, and the New Zealanders had to go through heavy shelling. The chief resistance of the German infantry was in Messines itself, in certain strongly fortified positions near where the church had been and in the main square. Here there was some stiff fighting, but the New Zealanders not only took the village, and everything that they were set to take within the time appointed, but would have liked to go on and do some more.