THE DEFENCES OF MAORILAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2155, 10 August 1907, Page 2

THE DEFENCES OF MAORILAND.

AN ENTIRE REORGANISATION TO TAKE PLACE. VOLUNTEERING MUST IMPROVE OR COMPULSORY UNIVERSAL TRAINING TAKE ITS PLACE. (BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

WELLINGTON, August 9. Tho quostiou of defence is one that engages increasing attention as the yeai*s go by, both from tho Imperial point of view and also from the point of view off-the Greater Empire.. This year tho N.Z. Defence report is tlio first that has been received from the now Counoil, and on that account a special interest attaches to it.

Arrangements are being made for a 'seven to ton days continuous course oi instruction in each distinct at suitable time and place, should sufficient officers be found to attend, embracing drill, musketry tactics and administration. Facilities will also be given to such officers who cannot attend

during a continuous course. By this means the higher- training of the officer will receive attention and during the summer a series of tactical exercises and staff rides will bo arranged in districts or schemes of detail fur-

POLICY. The first matter dealt with is tlie question of policy. Taking all circumstances into consideration it was decided that the policy of defence should for tho present continue purely voluntary, and that the regulations should be made and amended to further encourage enlistmiont, and “to obtain efficiency that provision bo made for forming reserves, for more decentralisation, increasing the powers and initiative of district commanders, and for tlie completion of staffs, etc., and generally that an endeavor be made to popularise tlie force m the eyes of the public, that the force bo for service in defence of the colony, oversea contingents required at any time being raised and equipped as a special force; that coast defence bo considered, and when decided gone on with and maintained in relation to the naval policy existing between the Home country and our colonies. Should tho volunteer force not be maintained or brought to an efficient state, volunteering has had its last chance. If the general public are in earnest as to defence, they must themselves assist and ensure that under the volunteer system sufficient enlistment is made, and that once the men are enlisted they attend regularly. The alternative is a system of universal or compulsory training, whereby the burden of service in tlie defence forces will be more evenly distributed.

nished by headquarters. The establishment of a cadre of horses at the centres is necessary to insure efficiency in our jield artillery for use also by field engineers, medical corps and for training a nucleus of a supply and transport section with the vehicles asked for. These cadres can be made somewhat self-supporting and certainly be of the greatest use to the mounted rifles and infantry on their daylight parades and manoeuvres. Failing this the annual grant for hire of horses should be doubled to enable contracts to bo made for regular training during the year. OPERATIONS AND MANOEUVRES. Schemes and directions for the current year’s manoeuvres will bo issued from headquarters and circulated some months beforehand. The schemes will bo made as practical and interesting as jiossible, when it is hoped, with the inducements offered in the amended regulations for manoeuvres and the co-operation of the public, the attendance will be such as to enable advanced and instructive work to be carried out. A comparison with the Commonwealth manoeuvres is to New Zealand’s disadvant-

age. The Australasian partially-paid militia had an attendance for 8 days showing 92 and 94 per cent, of their strength present. The volunteers who are recruited and maintained in liko manner to our own, for the four days of Easter showed 55 per cent., while under the same conditions the New Zealand percentage for the Easter manoeuvres has not for some years exceeded 25 per cent, of the strength.

MILITARY DISTRICTS. Tho present military districts will tie maintained, but as communication improves between, tho West Coast and Canterbury, the district of Nelson must be absorbed into Canterbury. The districts have in tlie past suffered from lack of staff and instruction, and from curtailed command. The staffs of each district now being completed are as follows; Assistant Adjutant-General (a permanent officer), Assistant QuartermasterGeneral (volunteer officer on partial pav), Principal Aledical Officer, Volunteer Senior Veterinary Officer, Volunteer Intelligence Officer, Voluniteer Signalling Officer, Volunteer Mobilisation Storekeeper, Permanent Artillery Officer (officer commanding detachment permanent force), StaffSergeant Alajor Instructor (permanent in proportion as available), clerks (permanent in proportion as available, except Nelson, where there is no Assistant Adjutant-General required). With this staff the officer commanding a district should show better results in the field efficiency ol his distriot. Next in the chain of resporisibility come the units of tlie volunteer force, comprising divisions of garrison artillery, carriers of field artillery companies, submarine and field engineers, regiments of mounted rifles, battalions of infantry, signalling corps, field hospitals and bearer corps. . It is here that volunteering really commences, and it is to the instruction, training, and equipment of these units that the whole energy of the Council and of the general and district staffs must be directed, and the support of the citizens of the colony given in turn. Tho volunteer officers, non-commissioned officers, and men must take advantage of the facilities offered and seriously and earnestly carry out their obligations, especially that of regular attendance, otherwise no advance can be made. Officers and non-commissioned officers should strive to qualify for a rank superior to the one they hold, it being kept in mind that under war conditions the calling up of reserves, etc., would very largely increase the forces, affording officers and non-com-missioned officers who show fitness the certainty of promotion. AIOUNTED RIFLES AND INFANTRY.

It is shown under the heading “Instructional and Equipment,” that much has to bo done to improve these very important branches of the service. The Council does not consider any good can come from criticising the past, hut intend, if voted the supply, to exercise every effort to tlie further improvement of these arms, the result of which will form matter for next year’s report. The Alounted Rifles are handicapped by the long rifle now on issue. An amount is on the Estimates to bring the present stock of short rifles up to a number sufficient to arm the mounted force strength of the forces. The strength of tlie forces for 19067 was as follows;—Headquarters staff 8, district staffs 45, permanent forces R. N.Z. Artillery and N.Z. Engineers 361, garrison artillery volunteers 939, field artillery 461, submarine and field engineers 470, mounted rifles 4189, infantry 6881, field hospital and bearer corps 211, defence cadets 3094, rifle cilubs 3141, garrison bands 142, active unattached officers 101; gra*d total 20,003. . This force is distributed as follows:—Auckland 3397, Wellington 6750, Nelson 2010,’ Canterbury 3237, Otago 4639.

•EQUIPMENT. The Council states that a defined policy is necessary as regards equipment. The old method of getting equipment in irregular lots must he discontinued. The amount asked for should be granted to at once equip a j>art of the force for active field service, i.e., (a) a reserve of rifles should he obtained to bring the number in the colony up to 50,000; (b) equipment, to .complete the personnel and mobilisation equipment for a first line force should be ready in an emergency to meet any surprise raid, and for issue from time to time for peace training and manoeuvres. A minimum training number of vehicles forming a nucleus for training medical and army service corps, etc., should to begin with be sufficient for, say, 1500 men at each of the four districts having defended ports, with 50 for the Nelson district, with an equipment of range finders, mess tins, and covers, waterproof sheets, bandolier equipment, entrenching tools, camp and cooking equipage, haversacks, water bottles, telegraph carts, ambulanco waggons, medical water carts, carts and pack-saddles for small arms, ammunition supply, general field service waggons, surgical haversacks, and harness.

Finally, there is the general report of Colonel Davies, Inspector General. As there had not been time for him to inspect all the forces his report is necessarily brief. In regard to mounted rifles his remarks are worth reproducing. He says with regard to the drill:—“More attention should bo paid to dismounted drill and to making all officers and non-commissioned officers more proficient in instructing and 1 handling their men. The corps would soon find the benefit of this oven from the point of view of the appearance of their men and consequently of the whole corps as- it is principally dismounted drill that makes men smart and >soldier-liko. The men are generally of very good physique and in most of the corps neat and uniformly dressed and equipped, especially to iiv the Canterbury corps that I inspected

Provision for these articles is embodied in the Estimates, the greater part of which can ho made in the colony. TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION. On this subject tho report states:— Men without leaders can do little and leaders without knowledge are a positive danger. Facilities, therefore, for gaining instruction must be given to the defence forces of the colony. The instruction of tho artillery services is good and should yet improve. The field engineers have been handicapped hut the arrival of the It.E. instructor lately asked for will remedy this. The field hospital and hearer corps are officered and instructed by professional gentlemen and well understand the more important part of their work. In the past tho . mounted rifles and infantry (tho men who use the rifles) have been seriously handicapped owing to want of sufficient instructors. As may be seen by perusal of the statement showing available instructional staff for the colony, an officer instructor of mounted rifles for each'island has only lately been appointed. The wonder is, under these conditions, that these most important branches of a field force know anything at all beyond the merest rudiments of drill and musketry. It is expected that' the system of' instruction now laid down whereby there is the district instructional staff constantly operating throughout each district with a general instruction staff to move regularly round.the districts for the higher training, arranging for continuous courses where possible, and on evenings and half holidays for those who cannot give continuous attendance, will better the present state of affairs and enable a progressive policy of military education to be carried out. To this end the instructional staff in each district has already been brought together for a short correcting course, not before it was needed, however, the result showing that the greatest cave must he taken in the selection of instructors, and oven then both officer and nou-commissioned officer instructors require to bo periodically tested aucl examined. . .. -

in camp at Easter. The horse: throughout are of _ a useful stamp generally and serviceable, though in some corps rough in appearance. The horses of the Canterbury corps referred to above are, taken as a whole, the best I have seen. 11l a few of the corps sufficient attention is not paid by officers and men to uniformity of clothing and equipment. This does not mean extra expense, hut just care in management, and it helps to mark the. difference between a. smart corps and a mob. As an example: Although it. has not) yet been possible for - all corps to obtain uniform saddlery there is no reason why two or three men of a corps .should parade with towels and a few with potato sacks for saddle cloths. No saddle cloth at ail is cheaper and a saddle that is not fit to put on a horse is not fit to use. In some corps also more attention should he devoted to horse mastershop or the care of horses, without which they must break down if used for any length of time on service..” His comments on the infantry are also interesting. “This branch taken as a whole,” fie says, “gets less opportunities of learning its work in the field than any other, and generallv needs it more, being to a very great-extent composed of officers and, men who live always in town. The' physique also varies more than in any other ami, there being a great number of very young and weedy men in several of the town corps. It is a striking fact that the farther south one goes the hotter, generally speaking, is the physique of the town infantry corps, due, I conclude, to the harder and colder climate in the south.” Tho Inspector-General hopes to see more rifle clubs formed and the members taking part in the field manoeuvres.

some general points. i Ms" “ Es-f, its rdit'ivTli artillery volunteers, " ther encouraged, as m oase ot une g'ency it will bo the volunteers vho will have to form tho manning bails and reliefs to maintain the service of the various works. l or sms purpose the Volunteer Garni son Arcillery have been directly linked with the permanen/t forces. . In regard to the cadot corps, rt is stated that a number of schools are considerably handicapped bv being armed with a carbine, and only havmg tho rifle loaned for a short time before the match takes place. It is hoped to encourage rifle clubs and make them feel they are an important adjunct to tho active force being taken into consideration in the general defence scheme of tho colony. Increases in pay are proposed for officers and men in tho permanent force. The present rate of pay is unsatisfactory. . . A good suggestion is made in regard to sporting rifles. If tho duty were remitted on all rifles of 303

INTELLIGENCE SECTION. A section for intelligence has been formed. This very important department of a military force is naturally in many was of a secret character. Aluch important and valuable information has already been circulated to those concerned in the collection of

intelligence now in hand. This will shortly enable an Exchange to be completed with the war office, Canada and Australia, and cannot fail to provide a better preparedness in our forces. The work of this section is being made to conform to the methods laid down by the Imperial service, so that exchanges will bear more than local significance. MOBILISATION.

This most important question had ■in the past been barely touched, but is now receiving close attention. Without some general system no force can be made use of to the best advantage at short notice or provided for until they reach their destination. To meet this and enable all concerned to • become acquainted with their duties a set of regulations and in-

structions for mobilisation suited to local requirements is now well forward. These. will be printed and taken into general use when completed. With a better knowledge of the duties many irregularities and unsoldierly methods of assembling troops for manoeuvres will give place to the method which should obtain when

called up for service. The report adds that the efficient carrying out of the several defence schemes for the colony is really- dependent on a sound mobilisation-system, not only as applied to the actual force but also to its up-keep and the augmenting same as the exigencies of the force demands.

REGULATIONS. These regulations being of a more or less confidential nature are not detailed, but they bear a close relation to the defence schemes. Senior officers are being taken more into confidence. in this respect and given opportunities to become more acquainted with their duties in war, it being obvious if these matters are kept locked up in'one place the officers concerned not having the chance to study them cannot be expected to carry out their duties, should the emergency suddenly arise. DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE.

bore capable of taking the Government ammunition it might encourage the use of such rifles, which in the case of emergency would further augment the reserve stock.

For this year the Council estimated that £184,024 will be required, .an increase of £31,259. This is accounted for in having to provide extra for small arms, ammunition, cordite, etc. £3,000, for payment of postage and telegrams consequent on the abolition of franking powers £2,000 for miniature rifle range £6OO, for capitation to volunteers £IO,OOO, a large proportion of which was due for last year, the returns not having been rendered in time for payment before the 31st March, to provide pay of permanent force according to establishment £5,000, and £5,000 for salaries and allowances of headquarters and instructional staff. 1 Provision will have to be made under “contingent defence” for sufficient money to cover the following items:—Completing armament mounted rifles £IO,OOO, equipment mobile force £siooo, ordnance ammunition £15,000, field guns £3,000, drill sheds £B,OOO, miscellaneous ordnance stores £4,000 and £3,200 for sundry charges making a total expenditure of £48,200, but as only part of the equipment can come to hand during the current year it will be sufficient if £25,000 is placed on the. estimates There is also a sum of £6,000 required for fixed harbor defence. Special reports by Major-General Johnson, late director of ordnance in the garrison artillery and the field artillery are appended to the main report. There is also a report on the field engineers by Major A. C. Robinson, director of engineer services. INSPECTOR- GENERAL’S REPORT.