POSITION OF STAFF OFFICERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1917, Page 5

POSITION OF STAFF OFFICERS.

v WHY RETAINED IN DOMINION; '' (Our Parliamentary Reporter)'.Wellington, Last Nig Mi. $ Several members have placed upontW ;»'. Order Paper questions relating to th«- v position of the Staff officers who have; % not yet had active service. One parth< § ukrly jx>inted question mentioned thai CI, the General Officer Commanding''in Natf, »v Zealand, the Chief of the General Staft, ft tlie two camp commandants, and othal '. prominent staff officers had not been ifi f the front, and suggested thai! thai* >}', places here shmild be taken by returned 'i officers. *33 l V 4 The Minister of Defence mentioned' t\ these questions in the House to-day, sn4 -/* said they contained an insinuation that 4l' was very unfair to tho officers concerned. Hfi The Government had felt it necessary tO '#,< retain in New Zehland many officers ' ■§ were keenly anxious to go, to. th» femt 'if Tliese officers were required fijr 1 tit* *'" training of reinfttrcenwnt*, and tfa >;>s maintenance of the military C2gKmaa< *H tion in New Zealand! during tits ml "U period generally. Major General Bo&gi ':. had made repeated requests bo be nV ' lowed to go to tho front, and Had dqbJl .<& told that he must continue to. per&eg ■ •% his present duties. Colonels G&femt ml % Mac Donald had pleaded, to be alftwna ;/ -| to go, hut the reply had been a, flrffl ,'& refusal in each case. Ihis involved real '? hardship, since there was no doubt tbsf ,«.J if these officers had got to the fsoril 7i > they would have gained higher Btnf. ■ V s than they now held. | He did not thiol *r he need defend tho eamp commandant!. ;'.f', from the innuendoes The people and , ''fi soldiers know what wo*k those offieen had done. The fact was that the Gov ' J . eminent hat' retained in New Zealand & only those officers who were urgenth ■{ needed, or who were unfit fot acttof ■ ''A service. • 1 ;

, The Minister proceeded to t« ,r <* the suggestions that tka Defence Qtafl ,'"■, Jacked business ability. Did the BbttM -.' '% realise, he asked, that the staff consist* '"' ed largely of men who had beer* damn ' <l from commercial and professional oooo' '* ; l nations since the outbreak of the war! 'j*! They included accountants, lawyer*, ~'<» agents, farmers, merchant.!, qivil »«• }i vants and so forth. They had not left , ',"* their business ability behind them whett ' jf{ thoy dinned uniforms. It seemed to hiln "" that there were some people wJbo wished ';„! to cast aspersions on men in uniform. -** : Mr. Wilford: Not in this House. •/, Sir James Allen: lam not so sum J* about that. Mr, Jennings: It is not the uniform; ' * it is the Swagger. ' ?, Sir James Allen: Ido not find any jj swagger in New Zealand soldiers. It. V have never seen it. ,*■£