NOT UNEXPECTED.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 June 1919, Page 5

NOT UNEXPECTED.

THE GREAT WAR. GENERAL RICHARDSON'S INTERESTING STATEMENT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, June 27. "When I left New Zealand seven years ago to attend a two years' course at the Staff College in England, there was no war cloud in the sky," said BrigadierGeneral G. S. Richardson (Officer in Charge of Administration), at a luncheon given in his honor by, the New Zealand Club. "YoU people here probably did not realise until the middle of 1014 what was being hatched in Europe. Strangely enough, I realised the position soon after my arrival in England; in 1912. The officers who attend'the Staff College spend their time studying the science of war and working out the problems that are likely to arise in future wars. One of the matters brought before us at that time was the coming war in Europe. "Wo were given in 1912-a confidential lecture by the Intelligence people, who told us what information' they had from Germany. They said that war would break out between Germany and France in the autumn of 1914, or in the early spring of 1015; that the deciding factor would be the completion of the Kiel Canal, which the German Emperor was pushing on with all haste. They said that as soon as the canal was deepened, so rs to admit of battleships being transferred from the Baltic to the North Sea, some pretext for war would be found by Germany, that We should be drawn into it, that the German fleet would come out, and that the British fleet would blockade German ports. The Germans would not come out, because of their inferiority, but they hooped by means of mines and submarines to destroy at least one large British ship per week, so at that thread, of a year the margin of superiorityfon our side would be small, and the German ships would be able then to come out with confidence in achieving something! almost decisive. We were told that when the Germans came out, they probably would* proceed south and try to cut our communications with France.

"What part of this schenfe came true you have now the opportunity to appreciate. We were told that Germany's preparations for mobilisation were far advanced. The lay-out of the/German railways indicated that the Germans would invade France in such force that the French would have to fall back!?.: the British Army would be required to wbilise very quickly indeed. The actual time taken in the mobilisation of the British Army in 1914, up to the date of the concentration on the left of the French Army, was twelve days. We were told it waa very probable that both the French and the British would have to fall back and retire even below Paris, that Pariß might be taken, but that the taking of Paris would not end the war, because the forces of the British Empire, including men from the Dominions and India, would enable us later to advance and successfully defeat the Germans. It was anticipated that conscription would have to be introduced, and that the British Army would have to be maintained Ly conscription, with a million men in France. As you know, this estimate was exceeded, and the number of men obtained from overseas was beyond all expectations. "That was the story told to us in 1012. We knew that the war was coming, but I thought that I might reach New Zealand before it started, and assist in preparing this country to take its part. New Zealand did its part well. No Dominion did better, and the record will be handed down to posterity as one of the greatest efforts made by an overseas Dominion in the war. And wliilo we are saying this, let us remember that the country that took the greatest share of all was the Old Country. (Applause.) Great Britain haa done the most and suffered the most of all."

General Eichardaon added that the armies were being demobilised now, and he presumed that the British Army would return to something like the prewar strength. Whatever was dona in this respect, the people of the Empire would require to provide the machinery for the rapid creation of great armies in the event of a future war. Ho hoped there would be no more war, but the nation could not afford at present to "count upon the maintenance of peace for all time. The first shield of the Empire must be a very powerful navy.