THE CAMP OUTRAGE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 289, 29 April 1913, Page 5

THE CAMP OUTRAGE

GENERAL GODLEY'S' STATEMENT,

AN ENQUIRY TO BE HELD;

Per Press Association,

Wellington, Last Night. Major-General Godley made the following statement to-day concerning the reported irregularities and threatening of a reporter of the Taranaki Daily News at the Oringi Territorial camp:— "I have very little to say at present about the matter, as it is under investigation, except that I think the trouble came in a great measure from reporters being employed in their civilian capacity as such, while serving as Territorial soldiers at the annual camp. The citizen soldier must of necessity be both a civilian and a soldier, but he cannot satisfactorily be both at the same time, and lie should not pursue his civilian avocation when at camp as a soldier. If he does, he is put in a false position, and unnecessary difficulties are made for the military authorities. His comrades in the ranks, not unnaturally, resent any criticism of their actions or publication of any irregularities they may commit, or of anything that may reflect discredit on their regiment by one of themselves. "When a number of high-spirited young men, such as I am glad' to say the New Zealand soldiers are, think that they have a cause for resentment they are* apt to give forcible expression to it. A point that must he borne in mind is that the. Territorials in question who, threatened the reporter did not do so because he was a reporter, as such, but because he was a comrade who, in their opinion, acted like a bird that fouled its own nest. Do not think from this that I wish to condone their action. I entirely disapprove of it, and so dp practically all the officers and a.large majority of the men, and I am taking steps to have the offenders traced and punished.

"I trust that next year the editors of newspapers may be able to see their way to send to the camps one of their senior arid most experienced reporters, and, on our' part, I will undertake that they shall be provided with a tent and rations, and given every facility to see and hear everything possible that goes on. from every point of view. We shall be glad to see a limited number of reporters in camp (say in each district one from each of the leading papers of the big cities, and one from the local paper), as' we are only too anxious that the public should know as much as possible of- the doings of the citizen •army,' The camps ■ are on a large scale and involve an expenditure of a considerable sum- of money, and are of great importance to the community, and I think the publichas reason to expect that it shall get its information about them from experienced and accredited representatives of the press. The press has'always helped us; and I hope will do so in this respect. "I do not think, either, that I, or anyone else connected with the citizen army, wish any irregularities to be hushed up or concealed. We would far rather they were not. We have nothing to fear from publicity. In fact, we court it. But it is only human nature that we should prefer any criticisms of our actions or reports of our misdeeds to come from independent civilian outsiders, and not from ourselves.

•••"As regards the irregularities which have undoubtedly occurred at the camp ' m the Wellington district, the only comments I have to make are that in the instance the disturbance made in Dannevirke was made by about a dozen men, and, in the second' instance, ■ the moonlight march towards Dannevrrkc was made by about fifty men. I' have searched all the newspaper accounts for any mention of the numbers concerned, an<J have read them carefully, and am -forced to the conclusion that the published accounts are likely to, give-the ■public an' entirely false impression of the numbers implicated and of the proportion -they bear to the numbers in' camp. There were "2700 men in camp,' and lean find no word of commendationof 'the exemplary conduct of the "2000odd whose behaviour' throughout Would have' done 1 credit to' the best-disciplined regular troops. "Personally, except for these few regrettable incidents, confined to a small minority, I am more than satisfied with the general conduct of the men, and their behaviour as a whole in camp only confirms my appreciation Of the excellent qualities of the young' New Zealander, and of his aptitude for the duties of a citizen soldier. I spent Friday afternoon walking through the camp, talking to the rank and file of the citizen army. 1 find everywhere a growing feeling of mutual respect between the officers and men, and 1 am firmly convinced that its discipline will be of the highest kind, based on a realisation of the necessity for it,'and of a willing subordination to ( authority on the part of the youth of the country, and I have no sympathy with the suggestion that penalties are necessary in order to enforce it, or that their application is the best way to bring home to the Territorial recruits, of which the entire citizen army is at present .composed, the realisation of the necessity for it. I have, it would seem, more confidence in the good qualities and good sense of the young New Zealander than some of his compatriots, and as long as I have the honor to command the New Zealand army I shall prefer to trust to his honor and to that esprit de corps which is being rapidly engendered in all units of the forces, rather than to disciplinary methods, to make it the best citizen army in the world.

"As an instance of the way in which these things are, no doubt, unintentionally magnified or exaggerated, in a leading article in its issue of April the Evening Post implies that the marchers towards Dannevirkc had gone nine and a half miles. The distance from camp to DannevirkcWas six miles only, and, as a matter of fact, they had gone only about half a mile, and were within the line of pickets before they were stopped by their officers, and that they did return when told to by their officers, when it was pointed out to them that they were committing a foolish and undisciplined act. This bears out my contention that the New Zealand citizen soldier has only to be told what is right for him to do it. I should like, in justice to the men, to call the attention of the public to the fact that two such independent authorities as Police-Inspec-tor O'Donovan and the Rev. J. A. Luxford, Methodist minister, of high standing in Wanganui, have testified to the general excellence of their behaviour, as also have many other ministers of religion who were present in the camp."

. CHAPLAIN LUXFORD'S STORY. FILTHY LANGUAGE. Wanganui, Last Night.' The Rev. .1. A. Luxford, interviewed by the Chronicle to-night in connection with General Godley's statement, states that the camp at Oringi, from a military point, was a success. On parade (he youths were under discipline, and there was neither a word nor an action indicating dissatisfaction. The sick were attended to with despatch. The chaplains received respect from the men and courtesy from the officers, both stall' and regimental. Every facility was given them for discharging their duties. He considers the reports of the Dannevirkc affair arc exaggerated. Mr. Lux-

ford says the great majority of the youths were respectable, well-behaved t young fellows, and their conduct was exemplary. He admits that there was a section whose language was filthy in the extreme—"the vilest he had ever heard." The whole must not be judged by the minority. It would be as unfair as condemning a good poet for one or two bad lines, lie fears that the alleged attempt to punish the reporter is true. Against these irregularities, it must be remembered that hundreds of the young fellows spent their evenings reading, writing and in enjoying wholesome games. He condemns the filthy language of the minority, and hopes the bluster, noise and dirty songs of a small section will not be considered the characteristic of the camp. If the authorities will take strict action to suppress the language of the bad element, parents will have nothing to fear about the atmosphere of these camps. With other 1 chaplains, he spent his evenings among the young fellows, visiting all parts of the camp, and could not see any sign of liquor, with the exception of two drunks returning from Dannevirke on the last evening after leave. He speaks in glowing terms of the management of the marquees provided by the Presbyterian Church and Salvation Army, and advocates a larger number under'the control of men of strong personality. The con- 1 duct of the youths at Chris'tchurch parades was all one could wish. The prayer meetings each evening were well-attend-ed. Eliminate the filthy language and suppress the conduct of the few rowdies who will always be found among a large number, and the camps would be .free from objectionable incidents. "Don't," he said, "let us judge the whole by the conduct of the few."