EASTER MANÆUVRES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 107, 27 April 1908, Page 3

EASTER MANÆUVRES.

lUE Mcail ILUJJ US V KLLLNUTO.N

Thinking Unit Hi,. -JJlu,.'- 1.\,i,. t . wull |j liilW something to „ a y ils to (_'ulo»cl | JJutliit-".- j-i-niiirks wliii-li «,. published I dii .Saturday la,i. we interviewed Major I «'. li. .M.ili.iiii. ttliu planned and wiu tin' 'liir.nwki aii.l \\ aiiy.uiui infanUv under Colonel nkcy cilect.d H„. ( ~,',. "'"" "I W «lli.i-i...i. U, i> ainu,,,!! a ,hl ' ll " Hiiil- liii> raider, rushed '" "'<• < ;«-in-i;il t'<»t Olliiv ami chccrcl •"'-I l«l Uu-.v knocked „iv )ijr|,|.i n ,, „, play inalldes; becauso.a, a n,alI'l' ol fad, (licy ,li,[ neither. || ( . ~,. an-U however, that Colonel J)„u,i r >niml( speak -,. eontcuipti ,lv of ami nuViile in,.,,, , v j,o l, v a „ K <i . ll ,. l((l>le ~„. hlii'ii.lij have l„. ( .„ cOngvaUihUcil on tl, < '..lining out ~f a,, operation which li:iv,. 1 ~a. cn-.lit to any troops. W hat Hie n,i ( l ( , rs did do after 'icaehing Wellington was, lirsl, blocked ami held

I'.v J'aitK's (if armed men all roads and railway line, lendiii"; i ut „ Wellingtonsecond, cut il„. city's „..,[,,,. ~ ]y mams third. ,-eized iUl ,| imprisoned iii the IJ warehouse 1.11 lire wharf the 'fiiveriKir. I'lime .Minister, and other autlionti,,; timitli. prepared tires in some one hundred buildings at stiilaJde intervals and- distances Ihrouglioia the business [.art of the city, and placed men to stand l.y the.se tires and, in «i.< ( . of need, light up on a tixed signal bcimRiven: tilth, j,!,,,.,. outposts to prevent these "fire im-n"' being interfered with. Then they required the (iovernor to' liy !l a.m. „t inn, April, 1!U)8. eapitulate the city, pay a war indenmitv in gold, give up all prisoners taken bv th,. "lied" Force, undertake to care for the siek and wounded of th,. "Jilue" Force who were linahle to travel, and in due course allow them to leave the couiilrv, and undertake that upon the "UliuV' Force embarking, its troopships and eruiHers should not he attacked in amway while leaving Xew Zealand. On these things punctually done, the -r.lue" Force undertook to evacuate tne <-it.v, handover all prisoners (including the l.overnor ami authoritiesi. vest in .' ','' •'"j-''l" Force the property W |,i,.|, „„. I! '"e lone had abandoned at Tawi r'b't, and leav„ Wellington |„. „„„„ of .''"'l -'or. The l.ovenior was ....Mt.-lv informed (hat if he neglected or refused to do what was asked l,y II a.m., Ihen tne signal would without fail he' „j v ,.„ and the city l, Hl nt to the gromnf It was hoped that he would obviate such a calamity. A proclamation was issue! to the citizens informing them that the Governor and .authorities wore pn . ••oners, but t | lllt „„,,-,. „,,„„.„ . U|( , •Ire., an, private property would not be mtcrerod Wlth if „ ~,l railu ""' their visitors: and that the latter proposed to leave the citv 1,noon. -As. of course, all this was only theoretically done." said Mai,,,- Malone 'I am unable to »ay whether the Cover-' ■loi- would have saved Wellington ,„■ »ot but I feel sure that if tl„. position 1 "' '"'"".-i practical one. he would have ''"»'• »'. Major Malone went on to «■>■ that he knew, that tl lied" Force "on Id have liked the "111,,,.- Force rn have taken up a baltle pc-iti„„ f O , ■Monday dose to .lohnsouville. U a matter of fact, he knew ,f >„,], „ ,„„j. tion. perfect in every respect, and h„<i prepared a sketch of it in ~,-c of need "lit the "ISlue" For,,, was out' for loot "ot tor blood. Taking up tl„. l, a lt|, I'"*'*"""- "■' 1 have meant that th, ■•l.ed' Force would inerelv have sal down in front „.f i( . and waited unti their reinforcements (due at noon) ar rived, amd-jjone on sitting down starving the "Hhic" Force out. Th, taking up'ot the position would hav, been Hi,, height „f f,,|| v fur t|l(i ~.| i(|| as it meant giving up the chance of sci/ "IK Wellington, which was the ol.jeetiv, of the "Hlue - * Force and the whole raid As t" only taking four hundred nien V Wellington, that was theoretical!

alK.ut the number that could be expected to. I N , alive and lit to travel, be-Mes a couple of parties of men whose busi-

ucss it was to deliver feint attacks on the ~,pp,».ite Hank to that which th.ne,ht raiders meant to pass through or over. If the four hundred got home, as they did, (hey would make it a. term, as they did. 'that prisoners should be given up. The trouble in these mutters, continued Major Malone, was that even competent, critics proceeded to judgment without knowledge of th,. fact* or hearing both sides. He knew all the facts on the "Blue" side, but not one of thnumerous critic- of these manoeuvres l.ad obtained from him any of them. In conclusion, he slated that the,one lasting inipresshm „iade on his mind was the womli-rful ihlclitv ami endurance of both the mounted infantry and infantry and their serious keenness in work. "I am pr.md." he said, "of the Tarn in ki Battalion, and the two loral companies in particular. Their work wa- of the bc-t."