Taranaki Cadet Review

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 2, 21 May 1914, Page 4

Taranaki Cadet Review

General Sir lan Hamilton New Plymouth Great Soldier Has Seen Nothing Better Nearly a Thousand of all Ranks on Parade A Favorable Impression

arrival of the overseas in- ; SI'ECTCffi-GJENJBIUI/. A CIVIC iRBCBPnoilf, theov «'«« ' in New PW^' r ? n arrived 1 !■)« h j? special train at 1 James AH 8 ???? ijlclu(ied Hob. 1 James Alie n (Minister «f Defence) ' * G A (General om e T&.. Stf Bo^ CeS ln New Zelwul), ■ Jttrf rr 1 , Miß ° n Wr • NtonwJ ° ffleers 'to Ham- ' a ''rr ?!; ne nT d (Mreetor °t Mill- ' tary Ti dining), Colonel Ohaytor (Officer ' Wellington MBtacr i Co^,,^' pertey (staff offi cer to 1 Colonel Chaytor), and Lieutenants Rich- 1 nrond «n<l Rhodes (staff officers to Gen- : oml alley). The party was met by 1 the civic reception committee. 1 municipal luncheon. 1 Oenrnl HamlUton and his party W6W > ! blien token to the White Hart Hotel 1 where luncheon was prwided by the : Borough Gomncil. The Dmutv-Mavor (Mr W. A Oollia) presided, and on his ' nght was General Sir lan Hamilton and ' on his left Colonel the Ho a . James : Allen. Also at the table wore General t'odley, Councillor V. H. Jackson, Mr W. P. lurk wood (Mayor of Stratford), /i K ' ah ™ ond - *"• T. Bellringer (Town Clerk), Mr Matthews (private seeretary to .the Hon. J. Allen), Mr C. w. Gwett (borough solicitor), Mr H . Black (electrical engineer), SurgeonMajo t - C x Hume, Lieut; T. L. Buxtori, Mr T B. Cramp (Mayor ot Eltham), Councillor J. Clare, Colonel Chaytor, Or. V\. Am bury, Major Ashmiore, Cr. A, II Johnstone, Cr. J. Kibby, and Mr C. Skitrop (borough engineer). After an excellent luncheon, a short toast list was dismissed. After the u.wal loyal toast, the De-puty-Mayor proposed "Our finest." After welcoming General Hamilton tn Now Plymouth, and apol'ogisinjf for the absence through sickness of the afernr. he said that his visit was of special interest to the people of rtliin district, who, from their .experiences in the early troublous times were deeply imbued with the military spirit. That spirit once aroused had not died, and in the period of pence which followed the' Maori war ' as the splendid response which Tvrauaki 1 made to thef call of the limipiro during the South African war had esemplified. That this war had been mo mere pastimie, the people Af the district had ample evi- ' denco m the monuments erected here to the memory of Taranaki troopers who fell in the South African wa,r. The district was rich in such historic associations as this, for in St.. Mary's Church huns patchments erected to the memory of the Imperial regiments and others who served in the Maori war, and General Hamilton would find special interest in seeing these from the fact that some of later date had beenjunveiled by Captain Scott, th intrepid explorer who hadi proved that bravery did not exist on 1 the battlefield alone. He couelMded : by expressing the hope that General Hamilvisit, tltonijjh brief, would be eniorabte. 1 J

. THE RBVIEW AT THE RACECOUBSE. The feature of General Sir lan Hamilton's visit to New Plymouth which at- ■ traded the most interest throughout the district was the inspection by him of the senior cadet fortes of tha Taranaki group. Indeed, this was tie main object of his visit to Taranalci. ' During his tour of Now Zealand as Inspector-Gen oral of the Overseas Forces, General Hamilton has inspected aH the adult defence forces Whilt in camg, with the advewe weather conditions which have moat generally prevailed, has been able to 'see them under the most trying conditions possible short of actual war- k fare, and therefore to make * mostly.. seaavhing inspection of their ties. He has nevertheless not overlook" 'ed the inspection of perhaps & yet more iniportant branch of tho defence forces—the senior cadets, who are being trained to take their place id the battle grounds of the future. Re has inspected tho cadets of the various centres drawn up on review, and it is . pleasing to know that after inspecting the Tamnaki boys on the racecourse in review order, General Hamilton was able to say, aa he did yesterday, that in physique, smartness and general appearan«e be had seen nothing better. Tic arrival of the 10.45 a«. and spedol trains yesterday filled the platforme with khaki-clad cadets front all parts of Taranaki, and the body drown up in column formation stretdhed more than the length of'Egmont street, and presented a fine appearance. There were ladis from as fax 'south as Waver-' ley, east as Wbangamomona, and west as Opunake. Captain Stevens "had every arrangement made, and the boys were speedily marshalled in orderly array, and, headed by the bugle band, marched to tho racecourse, where Sergt.Major Dallingcr had made excellent commissariat and other arrangements. The afternoon's manoeuvres were rehearsed, and lunch partaken of. THE PARADE STATE. Th«i parade, winch comprised, f(ll the cadets of the Taranaki Area <,'iv>jip, wan | commanded by Capt A. C. tt Stevens, N.Z.5.0., officer in charge <9! No. Group. It numbered 948 all told, and ' 'Was made up of eighteen companies, as 'follows, tho order given being that taken in tho march past:— i Mow Plymouth High School, color*' "• : black, Avitli white centre, 2 officers and > 71 otiher ranks; New Plymouth High' School (2), 1 officer and 51 other ranks; jNew Plymouth Technical College, blue and black, 2 officers and 46 other ranks;, 'New Plymouth, red l and green, I officer , and 64 other ranks; Ha were, red and • French grey, 1 officer and €0 oth'eji* ranks; Waverley, white with.blaok vtwk tre, 1 offieer and 54 other ranks; - blue and French grey, 1 officer and SS 1 other ranks; Waitara, red and kihaki, one officer and 31 other rank*; Inglewood, yellow and black, 2 officers and! 70 other ranks; Stratford, khaki-an J -i pearl grey, 1 officer and ! 45 ollher ranks; j fit rat ford, khaki and pearl grey (2), ' I officer and 53.other ranks; Stratford , High School, black and red, 2 officers and 65 other ranks; Ivapongft, purple .and emerald green, no officers aqd 29 . other ranks; Toko, black and' russefe * | brown, no officers and 42 other ranks; | El than), French grey, khaki, and red, 2 i officers and 58 other ranks; Patea redl ,on black, 1 officer and 51 other ranks; . | Manaia, green and violet, 2 officers and > 83 other ranks; Opunake, sago green and scarlet, 1 officer and 20 other ranks.; ' | making a total parade state of 28 com. , missioned officers and 01D other ranks. THE GENERAL ARRIVES.

_ THE GEN-ERAL'S REPLY. General H«tfiulton, .on, rising to reply, ' Wi,fi <r«*eeted with great enthusiasm. He remarked t.ha,t having a* yet seen little * of New Plymouth, lie- was unable as ' yet to form any impression beyond that I it could provide an excellent lunclie/in, - ami was overlooked bv a truly wonderful ! mountain, which reminded on® of Fnji- , yama, the mountain which was almost . worshipped bv the Japanese. He haul . also fathered that the people of the. . district, so far fromi bein<j of a nvilk-and.-wa.ter variety, had fought desperately -for I * hcir country fifty years ajro. and' had . a^<l r taken the field in the H'twif h African Mill'. >He made reference to hifl ; views on the defence of Xcw Zealand in , connection with the cable from Japan ; in yesterday's iw»uc, and replied' to the cabled version of his- speech iw re- ; ported elsewhere, He referred in glowing terms to (he class, of Ihivh whom ha | had recently been inspecting in the Colwho wovft pr<>pared for all emergencies by intellectual and manual exercises. He P ' o uld no , t w|f . lieieutlv express his admiration of the work of the technical ,schools of New Zealand, which were teaching voimtr men another ideal of life from the.'-black coat and boiled shi.it *' existence in an office. _ Tlhe boys were bein? taught the dignity of man.ua) labor, and he bad seen en'Oiicrh „f the result of their tuition to wiHi that there were more of such schools, in England. ■The iron. -Tames Allen then referred to the m.fortunatc illn.-ss „f the Mayor Ul.i K. \\ ikon), and extended 3ii« sympathy to hi7ir. He then proposed tlie Deputy.-Ifayor, and our sympathy to (lie Ma.yor." •Mr Oollis briefly respond,.,!, A VT.SIT TO POINTS OP IN'TETIEST. After luncheon (ieneral Hamilton and his party were take,, to Marslawl Hill, where the Tiencral was' much interested in the Maori war monument. and hghted with the view of the town and its surroundings. The party then proceeded to the racecourse f o ,r the Oidet review. After the review, (ieneral Hamilton t>i * painty were, token to Pukekura law, whiwi excited jrreat admiration both fresu lint) and from (ieneral Godlev i "ho compared it favorably "with v*"' 1 1 beauty spots which he had seen,. During this visit. General Ciodley was introduced by .Mr <i, W. lirowne io several of the ladies who aided' in Mrs> Godley's movement to pny for the cups presented to the Senior C'adtet.s. Thence the party was taken by Mr (filler (chairman of the Advisorv lioard ot the Taraiwki (K.Z.) Oihvells Com- > |>auv, T^tre.) (u visit the .Moturna. oil fields and the refincrv, where smne little .lime was spent. 'On return in.?, u visit WiW paid to St. Mary's Church, whore Colonel Ellis exhibited the. various pbateJiments erected to the memoTy of Imperial and Colonial Diori Avar l'ctf giments. The Ocmaral was much interested iH theso historic associations.

On t3io racecourse a largo crowd of people assembled 1 , awaiting the arrival of the General, It was found necessary • •to Mil the review a little later than had been anticipated, so it was 2.45 p.m. before General Hamilton, with £i» staff,' ■ arrived. The appearance of this sea- 1 Honed campaigner—who has taken parf ju suc& famous battles as that fougiiti by the Gordon Highlanders at Cabul, who was wounded at Majulw, was in the famous Nile expedition, saw mucii service in India, made his mark in the south African wnr, and sfiw the groat struggle between Japan and Russia— * I was hailed with much interest by the' * j hero-worshipping crow d ) and eV e . | was Btmincd to catch a glimpse of the ' i man wiho has been so much iu the eye lof the New Zealand public of'Me. 'Wliat they saw was a seasoned cama man browned by wind und ' I weather of camp and bivouac, and no ] carpet warrior; a man of commanding j appearance yet genial mien, shorter, as i he stands by the towering General Godey. than the cartoonist would have ua uulieve, yet too tall for insignificance even if be had not the hawk-like ere and bold outlook of a man aocustoiued to command. THE INSPECTION. The cadets were drawn up in line at' the saluting base, and presented an imposing army of young citizen soldiers- ■ o-be. Tlx! General passed from rank to rank, from oomp:. uy to company, bis eje seeking for defects in a manner criti-' cal enough to be uiwtcadving, even "to veteran troops. The ranks stood very j steady, and presented a very soldierly ' appearance. THE MARCH PAST. <• Then came the "march past." Geneial Hamilton returned to the saluting base, and the whole brigade of 050 boys swung past company by company to the strains of martial music. Ah each company came into review, it was eheered to the echo by its own particular friends nnd the admiring public generally. The X.'W Plymouth High School boys (especially the company, of smaller boys in their blue uniforms') and the Technical College cadets, received a particularly enthusiastic greeting. Each company marched steadily at the salute, with"

heads turned towards tin; (iencnri as he ij., stood iit the saluting base. 'J'lic bri- f pule then swung about, and marched £ back to its original position. ' Then followed tlio most spectacular pint of ], the review, the whole of the largt body j. of cadets advancing steadily in re view j' I o''(ler. Within o. few paces of tile saint- j in.!,' base tliey hailed, and even viile j. wan brought to the "present." ' This g brought the ceremonial pari of tie pro- „ cowlings to a conclusion. j PIIESIiXTATIOX OF PRIZES. i After this came the rewards of merit —the presentation of the shooting prizes ' for which the boys have contested keen- 1 lv ever since the scheme for their pur- | chase was initiated among, t&o*women. 1 of New Zealand'by Mrs: Godley. The prize-winners were drawn up in line, and 1 each received a silver cup and medal at the hands of General Hamilton. SHOOTING PKIZES. The. prizes, which were for the best shots in each company, were awarded as follows:---New Plymouth High .School No. 1, A. Sutherland; New Ply. mouth High School No. 2, C. C. S. Candy; Jiew Plymouth Technical College, K. Stohr; New Plymouth, 11. Hamilton; Hawera, P. Burre'll; Waverley, 11. .L Chesswas; Tariki, 0. Blaekbcmrne; waitara, D. L. Ta.it; inglewood, J. Evetts; Stratford No. 1, J. Ibbotson; Stratford No. 2, E. 1?. Black; Stratford High School, Coutts; Kaponga, A. R. hlgar; Toko, A. L. Frewin; Eltham, G. W: Col ling wood; Patea, W. Milhani; Manaia, A. Eiordan; and Opiuiake, E. M. Gibson.

A WORD OF PRAISE. v Then came a brief address by General 8 Hamilton, in which lie spoke highly or tihe work of tile bovy. It was not, he said, easy to gather much from viewing t a ceremonial parade, but one could see 1 something of the way in which the com- v panies were manoeuvred, and could c judge of the steadiness, physique and t conduct under arms of the men en- a gaged; and he could say without flattery that he had seen nothing better 1 than the Taranaki cadets. They had £ been steady in the ranks, and the march « was very ,creditable, only a few 1 details, which he pointed out, needing < improvement. He referred to the 1 training which the boys were receiving i in the work of defending or preparing " to defend the Empire, and congratula£ ' ed them on the spirit in which it was i undertaken. ! . • , THE VETERANS' PART. Xo less interesting was the part played by the veterans of the district, the weather-beaten warriors of former dam ■One -Hundred and twenty strong they stood, drawn *up under the command of Colonel Ellis, in lines of a steadiness which would have done creidit to younger men. Medals, earned in the troublous times through which the province has passed, and which the younger generation is prone to forget, were proudiy displayed, as well as Crimean, Indian Mutiny, Afghanistan, and! other medals. General Hamilton passed from man to man, enquiring the nature of his service to the country, and lingerin" to hear the details which old age'longs to give. Old hearts grew young again, and oM faces brightened up as the In-spector-General of the Oversew- Forces went his kindly away among the ancient warriors.

A COMPLIMENTARY DINNER. In the evening, General Hamilton and las stall' were the. guests of tho Taranaki Club at dinner at the Wliiti Hart Hotel, and later visited tho veterans' function in the Foresters' Hall. The party- leave for Wellington by the mail train this morning. EVENING REJOICINGS. In the evening a large gathering of veterans assembled in the Foresters' Hall to entertain tho Hawera veterans. A very pleasant evening was spent in the discussion of an excellent repast, and a short toast list. Songs and recitations added greatly to the evening's enjoyment, the accompaniments' being played by Mr. W. Perry on a piano kindly lent by Mr. L. Hoffmann. Colonel Ellis, V.D., took tho chair. After the usual loyal toast, the health of itho "Arm;,i and Navy" was proposed by the Ven. Archdeacon Evans, and responded to by Messrs C. N. Rows (Navy) and G. A. Adlaan (Army). At this stage in the proceedings, General Hamilton arrived, and was greeted by a rousing cheer from the assembly. He was accompanied by members of his part;,j (including General Oodiley), Mr. Justice Edfrards, the Hon. James Allen (Minister for Defence), Captain Stevens, and other Territorial officers, and several of the guests at the dinner tendered to General Hamilton by the Taranaki Club earlier in the evening. Toasts were then tendered to General Hamilton, General Godley, the Hon. James Allen, Mr. Justice Edwards, and the Territorial forces.

NOTEWORTHY UTTERANCES BY NOTABLE MEN. AT THE VETERANS' REUNION. Colonel Ellis, in proposing the toast of the guest of t'h'e evening, General Sir lan Hamilton, said that Tanmaki had seen ninny generals, some in time of war, and they were more than ever pleased to see General Hamilton, because <ho visited them in times of peace and prosperity. GENERAL HAMILTON'S REPLY. General Hamilton, pn rising to reply, was received with tremendous enthusiasm. lie said that the day had been a great and happyi one for him, for ilie hud been able to see the finest assembly of veterans it had ever been bis luck to see, and marching in front of thorn he luul seen the sons, grandsons, and even great-grandsons of these old warriors. Nowhere would they find a finer band of youngsters than those lie had seen that day. It wis a great encouragement for them to know Mint they had been inspected by the men who had

;;de what they were. He "believed | f ei h.ope.l that Ihese ;mvs would c\- n erienee nil vasier ami e ji: accfii! i fn thnn bad fallen to t.:r !os of their , 'irefai hers, but he tt ' . ! n should 1 rials';:ii,l strife arise, ti.ey won d meet ] iieia j'. ■■ a-, well. The old set: iers of ] he district h.'u! 'had a. wonderful lite— ■ ough, but line. to look back upon. "fn : lis early days of service with the 12th teginient in Athlone, all the officers of lis r.giment were men who had fought, n Mew Zealand, and their stories had nspired 'h.im with :i.i intense desire, to see the country, the military settlers, their old chivalrous enemies, the Maoris, but lie had not thought, he would have the good fortune t.o'do so. I'he delight of that day's .parade had been still further enhanced by the'preifjice. of the men who had served with him in the South Africa)! war. .lust as the New Zealand wars had given peace to the country, so had the South African war helped to make .South Africa a prosperous country, and lie lsoped a peaceful country in the future, lie had no hesitation in saying, from his own observations of two years ago, that most of the old racial bitterness had been swept from South Africa. 'While in Durban, he had ihearl of Boers (who ] had been wont to avoid Xalal as purely British) |?oing there and enjoying its 'attractions as a seaside resort and watering place. South Africa hud all the ordinary troubles of a civilised country, civil disorders and economic disputes, but the old racial bitterness had gone, never to return. lie could onlv conclude by saying again that it had beeu a great day for liini. He 'had seen old Egmont with its snow cap on, and had also seen something of the prospects of the oil industry. and he had seen the boys of the coming generation, who were to defend the riches of the country should the occasion arise.

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE. Captain Mace, N.Z.C., in proposing the health of "the Minister for Defence, hoped that the scheme of training would not neglect the youth of the country, who were to take up in times to come the work which they as veterans could no longer do. Hon. .Tames Allen said that Captain Mace, in his remarks addressed to Hiirn as Minister for Defence, had given him an inspiraton. If he had wanted to. bo inspired not to neglect the defence of the country, and particularly the training of the youth of the country, he would have found it from being present that night with those who had won New Zealand both as soldiers and in their struggles with Nature. . It was an inspiration to him as Minister for Defence to be there, and to feel the respect which he did for all' such men. The Government had adopted the penior cadet BTstem 'because it felt that the boys of New Zealand were willing to be trained for the defence of their country, and because by so doing it wai possible to demand less of the. Territorials and interfere less with their civil employment, and for these reasons he believed all were in sympathy with the training of these boys, who 'would carry their knowledge on into the Territorials. "Is there anyone in New Zealand who will allow another man or race of men to wrest from' him the country which we have won?" he asked. He believed that all were with the Ho believed thfca all were witih the Government in this scheme, and that their children would carry on the traditions they had raised. No one wanted war, simply soourity to enjoy the peaceful privileges they 'had won and ahould enjoy. He had no doubt that the boys of New Zealand would prove worthy sons of worthy fathers. The people of New Zealand had. put a trust in the hands of the Defence Department, and if it were not carried out they knew what to do, and ho hoped: they 'would do it. MR JUSTICE EDWARDS. His Honor Mr. Justice Edwards, in reply to a toast proffered: by Colonel Ellis, said that if he were not so fuvly in sympathy with the feeling of the gathering on the subject of military training, he would have regarded this toast sprung upon him as an unjustifiable at- , tack on an unarmed foe. The movement ; which had been miscalled,' unfilitairism wag animated by a spirit which deserved every encouragement. Because a few foolish people in the name of peace decried that spirit, that was no reason for it to die out. The desire of th" country was not war, 'but' defence. ' Speaking to them as men of war, he said that of greater importance to the country than ability to draw a sword ' was that its sons were being taught

what in these days of lax parental control was badly needed —duty and discipline. They were being taught that there were things in life even greater than, football or picture shows. Tiiev were learning to -be imore than little New Zealanders—citineas of the great British Emipre. At such a distance from England they were apt to forget in the delights and amenities; of this delightful country tlheir duty to the Mother Laud. They would appreciate this the more from the presence of so distinguished a soldier as General Hamilton and from the knowledge that England was giving of 'her best and noblest to tram them in their duties 'to the Empire. THE TERRITORIALS.

General Godley, in response to a toast by the deputy-May or'(Mr. W. A. Collis) to "The Territorials" with which his name was coupled, said that with Mr. Allen he had received inspiration from that gathering of veterans as an evidence of the sentiments of all Xv.w Zealand towards t'hc citizen army and the defence of New Zealand. When he first came to Xc\r p Zealand in 1911), his first official visit was to a military tournament at l'almemton North, and there he met a large Wimbcr of the veterans who were now present. After seeing them, the doubts and misgivings' as to the success of the Territorial scheme had in a great measure vanished, for lie felt that with such fathers, the young men of New Zealand; must possess the right spirit. He realised then what the carlv settlers had done to make the country. Not long afterwards he came to Now Plymouth, anar from the sight of the veterans here, from the memorials on Maraland Hill aud in the church, and

Wm tho atmosphere of soldierly -comnadeahij) and valor, lie Jiat!_ been more than over certain that Hi? Ncvr Zealand citixen-army won Id lie worth}' of all who hud fought fur tho country in tho past,, lie felt that there could be no real antipathy to (military training in a country \vhu.-h produced such veterans. He had seen now throe Territorial camps, and the more lie F-aw of the men under canvas tho more he realised the admiration and respect, in which the. veterans of the country were held by their sons awl grandsons), who strove to emulate them. lie had no hesitation .in saving that in no part of the world would iw found a better spirit, better (material, or more aptitude for training than in those camps. Some of the people of the country, even a section of the Press, were trying to make out that the young 1 men of New Zealand expected to l>n "molly-coddled" ill the camps. When he thought of the conditions under whia!i -his hearers had fought in the early war, he could not believe that of their descendants, lie hoped they would all let their .soiis know that, there! would be no "inoily-eodd'line" of the citizen army. TIIE VETERANS. Captain Stevens, who made a few remarks ill default of a musical item, expressed the gratitude he felt towards the veterans for the assistance which they had given to make the day's proceedings such a success. The boys 'of Taranaki were somewhat old for their years, but there was no limit to the , youth of the veterans. It was this I spirit which had brought tliem all toI gctiher that night, and which had l made , such a parade as they had seen that 1 day possible. He felt a deep Tespect, , for one and all of the veterans who had t shed their blood for their country.