The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 19. AN ARMY OF EMPIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 367, 19 April 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 19. AN ARMY OF EMPIRE.

Lord Kitchener is reported to liave made in America-the same remark that thousands of other people have made—that peace is only to be bought by preparedness for war. It is a good stock declaration, and Lord Kitchener does not give any secrets away when he makes it. Kitchener is not a man of words—he is a man of deeds; a great planner, ■whose life has been one hard battle to gain his own ends, which means the preeminence of Empire. His career is startling in its progress, and of incalculable importance in effect. Tie has a ■wholesome despite for red-tape and those kinds of politics that fight his schemes. He is a statesman who, without the help of colleagues or file support of a Cabinet, insists on gaining his ends. He fought the Viceroy of India—and won. He has fought men of all colors, and has won their esteem by bringing Ms marvellous capacity for business and organisation to their help after their defeat. The importance of his American statement'is nil—he did not intend it to be so. The importance of his decision that there must lie an Army of Empire is incalculable. It is said he will resign from the Army, of which he is the most brilliant soldier, if he is nor allowed to organise an Army 01 Empire. The Army of Empire under Lord Kitchener would 'i.e a peace organisation, not a Avar plaything, as at pre-ent. The extraordinary inlluence of a man of Kitchener's calibre is apparent when he can pay a flying visit to the Dominion and at once leave his mark on our defence system, ■which has been a mere toy—a most expensive, badly-built toy, but still a plaything. Lord Kitchener had no power to "order" either tin 1 Defence Departments, of Australia or New Zealand to get rid of their playthings. He pould only suggest. As the head of the Imperial Defence Committee, pledged to '.weld the Empire's Army together, he would have the necessary power to command. The Army of Empire cannot be enlisted .under the one supreme command without the consent of the Governments of the dominions, so that with the sanction that will necessarily come, the troops of the whWe Imperial scheme will Jbe forced to obey. The weakness of «very -voluntary force—outside Great Britain, where Territorials arc in touch with regular troops—is always that the volunteer considers himself a free, acent. .Real discipline in the New Zealand force is unpopular, because voluntary soldiers believe it is degrading to obey men they know, and -who a v e merely their social eouals. Although officers have the (necessary power to enforce the. obedience rcnuisite to make a machine out of a plaything, they genera 11 v fail to do so, because the are more social than belligerent. Tf the fulfilment is equal to the .promise, the Zealand Defence Department is about In jjet a (better -srip on irresponsible and undisciplined youths than has ever been possible, but at present the New Zealand Arair must be self-dependent and controlled from within. Tn this its weakness will lie. It was seen that, because there is no real national .sentiment in New Zealand and no apparent, desire in hi<rh places to remove a plaything and substitute a real tool, compulsory training would he -unpopular, and anythin? unpopular in -New Zealand affects' politics and place. Lord Kitchener suj*-1 srested that the compulsory clause; 'should anther in men up to 25 years of I age. But the fact that men over 21. I have votes has tended to nw this scheme in the hud. New Zealand's huge armv of loafers is therefore free to ao loafing and to exercise a vote. The .Army is" to be political after all—sunposin'.' Kitcheners "Armv of Emnire" does not materialise. Kitchener mentioned very strongly that the Army should be disassociated from politics. People in hi,<rh places in New Zealand at once asso- [ ciated the reform of the defence system with .politics. It is not even known ret whether the. voluntary territorial will he allowed to become the haphazard person the old volunteer was in the Abu-lk splendid material woefully mismanaged and misused. The territorial on enlistment will have to serve for three years. The onlv ouestio-i of interest about this is. Will he be made to soldier effectively, or merely in the haphazard fashion common from Kiwnkawa to Invercargill? The hn.;v-> r.f the forces of Australasia lies in the ..v<..p = c of Kitchener's "Armv of Emm':-." The duty of everv man lies clear linn, but unfortunately in Austral-is-i pin-** men hate to do ■;>« they :•>■<. (.-.■ i. .W -in the matter of Kitchener at the head )of an Amu- of Empire, lie y,-,.iM lie able to insist that men who 'iv-1 in the Empire should he compelled +o "■•< their shoulder into the collar to "'roll the old chariot alow:."