DRILLING AND DAIRYING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 196, 8 January 1913, Page 3

DRILLING AND DAIRYING.

CKN'KI!A!, CODLEY MEETS TAKANAKI FARAIEUS. NAKI FARMERS. SCHEME TO SUIT DAIRYMEN. (From Our Stratford Reporter.) Major-General Godley. Commandant of tin' Forces, spent Tmwlay in Stratford. During the morning he was at the Municipal Chambers to meet farmers and others, with a view of discussing the defence system and any complaints concerning its working, ami to receive any .supinations which miglit tend to remove any inconveniences caused to fanners whose sons or employers had to serve.

.Mr. .). R lline, M.l\, for Stratford, hrielly 'introduced the Commandant to to the twenty or thirty gentlemen present. Air. lline said that as the result of conversations with farmers he had written the .Minister of Defence concerning a suggestion that instead of attending the regular fortnightly parades throughout the year those Territorials engaged in farm work might lie allowed to put in two weeks instead of one at the annual camp.

General Oodley 'briefly stated that he wanted to find out exactly how the working of the defence jcneme affected the farmers. Tie had done • : s best to find out, but wanted to know more, and the more lie knew of their difficulties the more chance he would have of meeting those difficulties. INSTRUCTORS'. LAPSES.

Mr. .Tameo Knowles. of Tariki, mentioned that sometimes his sons attended at the Tariki centre as ordered, and at great inconvenience and loss of valuable time, only to find that the instructor had failed to show up, and there was no one to take charge of the parade. This had happened on the previous day. but on this occasion little harm was done, as it was a wet day. General Godley: Then it would not have been a good day for drill, would it? Mr. Knowles: They have the hall. General Godley remarked that f'um his point of view a hall was a c;o'>l ph.ee to keep the Territorials out of. Mechanical drill in a hall was useful, of course, but they wanted to get the men outside and teach them the more practical side of soldiering.

Mr. Knowles said (lint on some previous occasions the instructor had failed tlif men 011 fine days. flenoral Oodlev said that the instructor should have lyen there. or failing him. some other officer to take charge of the parade. At the same time, tiie instructors were not numerous enough. They were working as hard as they could, and were always on the move. He asked Captain Steven. 0.0. group. to note the matter and attend to it. and then requested those present to be good enoush to drop a line to Captain Steven at Hawera when any matter such as this occurred. TV CASE OF T T ROEXCY.

TilK ELASTICITY OF THE SCHEME. Mr. Knowles then touched 011 another matter. He pointed out that shortly lie would be left with only one son on the farm. He himself was {retting up in years. His non was a Territorial, and he .himself believed in the training. But tlje annual camp took his son away, and practically denuded the district of voung men. Supposing that at the time of the camp lie were himself unable, 011 account of ill-health, to carry on the farm, would it be compulsory for his son to attend the camp and leave the farm and the large herd of cows with no one to look after them? general Godley said this was a genuine grievance. 0

Mr. Knowles continued: "Mv boy likes it. I'm not against it. T think it is good for him. But if T have to rrpt out of tlie farm, it will throw mv hov on his Seam end."

General Gorfley replied that if the son was literally and absolutely the only person callable of looking after the farm he, would not have to attend camp. "Jiut." he added, "wo trust to you not to ask for exemption unless it Is literally impossible to carry 011." Mr. Knowles; I'll stand to you there Sir."

(ieneral Oodley; "An,] WP 'l] to yon." Cases of that kind, he added would he taken on their merits, and the on!<•»'r.-. would not so act, as to brin-* the work of the farm to a standstill.'" Of course, absence of a man from camp was a bad tiling for the scheme, for it meant that he did not ? ct the week's training that was really the "goodness" 0 f the scheme. Drill in halls was well in its way. but the tiling that was goinsr to make tor the good defence of this country was the organisation of the large bodies of men in cam p. where they would 110 •» ™»ip and in the field what they tt'mili! Jmvo to do oil nctual sorvico. It was impossible to make an army without this. There was no finer regiment than the Taranaki Rifles, he said? Unless the Territorial went into camp lie would lose touch with his comrades, lose touch with his section, would miss that sense of esprit de corps which resulted I'fe and field service; he J) out get to know his officers, or his officers (o know him. Hut Mr. Knowles' request was "a fair thing." He trusted, howeu-r. that no request f or |ea Vn would he made except in an extreme case. Mv. Knowles: Your trust will not be ix'trayod, sir.

WHY EXEMPT? Mr. \Y. X. Stephenson, of Tariki, also referred to the failure of instructors to attend parades failed, and the inconvenience and irritations thus caused. I'armei-. lie said, recognised the importance of defence, and were willing to make s;>' ifiees so that their soils and empi; 1 ees could attend parades, but it was. to say the least of it. irritating when, after doing a senior cadet's work at home in order to let him away to parade, to find that the cadet had spent the morning in fruitlessly waiting for the instructor.

Another thinp. TTo and sonic of his neighbors would like (<> know wriv a certain "braw laddie. - ' physically fit'ami capable of carrying ;irms, was allowed to work on a farm at, Tariki whilst others, had to «n to parade. He had been told that the lad was exempt because hi* father allowed the rifle elnb to use a rifle runjie on hi- farm. (leneral flodley did not. think that was the reason. It mi»hl he. that the lad Has physically unfit, or not yet of afro. or he mijrht have leave to ''lump" his drills by stayin;; longer in camp. ( >r. lie ■mijflit be a member of a rifle Hub. Or. it be that the lad refused to go to parade. rnstructions hail been *iiveil to proeeed against all delinquents, for they had been given quite sufficient, ''rope." This prosecution was a hi;; job. am! they had only a small staff. The fining of delinquent's was having a beneficial effect, and attendances at parades were increasing. It was quite obvious, he added, that the country was going to stick to military training. THE CAMPS.

(leneral (iodley said that the seven days' camp was the minimum perio 1 that he could recommend. Tt would now be possible for men to put in eleven days, and thus work off parados ''in a lump." This' concession was meant particularly for the hackblocks Territorials and cadets, hut could doubtless be taken as a general permission. Answering a question, he said that those liable to serve were expec^

to parade if within .111 hours journey of Che drill centre, either by walking or riding, or the usual mode of travel. But the camp w;i, compulsory in every case. This year the camp" would be held at Oringi, near Paliiatua. AWAY IX TIIK 1!!'S1I. .

Mr. Iline mentioned the case of a young fellow l(i miles from the drill of Wlmngamomona. There was no road. He was anxious to escape liability for regular parade, making up for it by a longer period in camp. 'General Godley said that in such a ease the camp woidd be treated as sufficient compliance. But those concerned should write to the area, group officer, stating their circumstances. .Messrs. K. Marfell ami Charles Young also spoke on this matter. Captain Lampen stated that out of 84(1 men in the 11th Regt,., 140 had applied to he allowed to do the extra drill at the cam]).

General Godley did not favor the formation of rifle clubs (instead of establishing drill centres) except in very isolated places. lie set 'his face strongly against losing the services of the men in the backblocks. Tliey were tho best men in the Territorials. "They are the best fellows; of course they are. I would rather have seven or eight of them than fifty from some towns."

Mr. Knowles: And the young fellows are getting to like it. A man won't go against his boy if lie can help it. General Godley.- Xo. And especially in Xew Zealand, where the son generally* does us he likes. But they are goo'rl boys, and I have been glad to find so many of them in camp. After explaining some of the details of the defence scheme, and pointing out the magnitude of the work of organisation. with a too small and shamefully overworked staff, General Godley concluded with the assurance that everything would soon .be running quite smoothly, and that he would do all that could be done to meet the convenience of the fanning community.

Mr, Hine thanked the Commandant for coming, and General Godley briefly thanked those present for so clearly stating their quite, genuine grievances.