PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
6
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
70.
LANA DEFENCE. get your forces equipped and organised; you do not want to send a rabble
without proper equipment, and without any cohesion; all that takes time.
·
Sir George Turner.] You do not get cohesion unless you have them trained together.
your
Mr. Reid.] It does not cost money. Surely, it is one of our serious responsibilities. You spend 200,000l. a year for these soldiers and all these expenses; surely it is a valuable feature of such expenditure that you have not only got the men within reach to go to the assistance of the people in Colony, but you have got within your force a unit which means a great deal in military affairs, I believe it means everything, the difference between a unit which rabble and an army, or a disciplined force-you have a (having passed an Act, which would take ten minutes perhaps in time of emergency), you have got a force of men you can send to Victoria, not to embarrass the people in Victoria, not to have the people in Victoria rushing round to find things for them, the muskets, rifles or cloaks, or food, or ammunition.
Sir George Turner.] Nobody objects to any of that. Mr. Reid.] Well, why not start it? Let us start it.
Mr. Kingston.] It is suggested at this table that we should approve some scheme.
Mr. Reid.] No, it is simply brought up for general consideration, have worked out schemes in the Colonies.
Mr. Kingston.] Work the schemes out.
We
Sir George Turner.] I am afraid there is more in it than appears to us here.
What we thought was, that you would like to hear from persons who are really competent to express an opinion of the immense importance of greater organisation than you have at present,
The Secretary of State.] I do not think so.
Sir George Turner.] What do you mean by greater organisation?
The Secretary of State.] Well, you are all acting as though war was im- possible; war comes very suddenly, if it comes; and, undoubtedly, you are not prepared for war, in spite of the large sums which you are all, separately, contributing, and this is a proposal which does not go very far, but it is a proposal which would take into account the possibility of war. You should make your arrangements beforehand, not your legal arrangements, but your arrangements of organisation beforehand, be prepared for it; and what is required is that you should authorise your military authorities to make these arrangements. Once you give them the authority to do it they are capable of doing it; they will not ask you for information upon military detail.
and
Mr. Seddon.] Do I understand, Mr. Chamberlain, that there is a legal difficulty in the way? I was advised, in respect to sending a contingent home, that after the men left New Zealand our control was gonę, we had to get a separate agreement made with each of the men before What was desired here was, our authority could actually be given effect to. 'that there should be an Act passed through the Imperial Legislature, em- powering the Colonies to pass laws allowing of the employment of their soldiers outside their own limits for this particular purpose.
Captain Nathan.] That is not necessary; South Australia and Queensland have already done that for themselves, and that was another point I was coming to.
.
Sir George Turner.] We are endeavouring to do it; we are endeavouring to agree upon a uniform system; we have practically agreed upon it.
Mr. Kingston.] As I understand, it is proposed to give our military authorities power to make regulations for organisation involving expense for
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this, that, and the other without our first seeing these arrangements and ap. proving them. I am not prepared to do anything of the sort. They can make suggestions for the consideration of the Government, and they are always at liberty to do that.
Mr. Reid.] The Government will not propose military organisation, There may be some soldiers
Mr. Kingston.] They recognise the necessity of subjecting the proposals of military men to a very careful scrutiny.
Mr. Reid.] No doubt; but in the meantime the trouble might come before we are federated, and you might get a rabble instead of a disciplined army.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier.] Certainly.
Mr. Reid.] You would be quite ready to consider the scheme,
Sir George Turner.] I think it might be left to us now; I will look into it and see.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier.] What is the next point, may I ask?
Captain Nathan.] The Colonial Defence Committee have been informed that Victoria and New South Wales are at present considering the question of their military law with a view to greater uniformity, and the Committee suggest that one military law ought to do for the whole of Australia; that the whole ought to be uniforin, and that this might easily be accom- plished by a general Act being drafted at the next conference of Com- mandants out there, and each Legislature then passing the same law.
We are
Sir George Turner.] They are doing that, the Commandants. being guided by our Commandants as to what the contents of our Bill should be.
Captain Nathan.] There are already divergencies between the Acts of Queensland and South Australia,
Mr. Reid.] In the last Acts ?
Captain Nathan.] In the last Acts there are divergencies; differences which
do not seem to be justified by any special conditions of the Colonies.
Mr. Kingston.] What divergencies are you referring to specially? Captain Nathan.] It is desirable to have uniform military legislation as much as possible throughout the Empire.
Mr. Reid.] We have passed resolutions in our conferences in that sense. Sir George Turner.] The Bill is practically agreed to.
Captain Nathan.] The Bill is practically agreed to only in Victoria and New South Wales. At present the Bill is for Victoria only possibly; there is no general Bill,
Sir George Turner.] Each Colony would practically pass the same Act.
pass Captain Nathan.] Will Sir George Turner.] Yes.
?
Captain Nathan.] Then it is thought also that Canada might consider that
Act also.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier.] With a view of uniformity? Captain Nathan.] With a view of uniformity.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier.] Yes.
Captain Nathan.] Uniformity also comes in in the question of arms, There has recently been a certain amount of correspondence on the subject, and I believe the War Office are going to make an offer to furnish the Colonies that require it on favourable terms with rifles, using the same ammunition as is used by the Imperial small arm. That does not apply to Canada, Canada, I 4
LAND DEFENCE.
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