477
Land DEFENCE.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
SITELEC.O. 885
6
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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LAND DEFENCE. having gone to a large expense in providing herself with Lee-Enfield magazine
rifles.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier.] That is the last rifle.
Captain Nathan.] Yes.
The Earl of Selborne.] The point of that, Captain Nathan, is that there would be nothing more serious in war than to have two different kinds of ammunition.
Captain Nathan.] Yes.
The Earl of Selborne.] They would be always getting the wrong ammuni- tion or the wrong rifle.
Captain Nathan.] Troops cannot act together with different ammunition, and the object is that they may act together to the best advantage.
Sir George Turner.] That scheme will be submitted to us.
Captain Nathan.] Yes.
The Earl of Selborne.] The offer will be made.
Captain Nathan.] Yes, I understand the offer will be made.
Mr. Seddon.] What is your rifle ?
The Earl of Selborne.] The Lee-Metford.
Mr. Kingston.] A magazine riffe.
The Earl of Selborne.] Then what I think is suggested is the converted Martini-Henry, what they call the Martini-Enfield.
Mr. Harry Escombe.] That is 303.
Captain Nathan.] The next point is with regard to the local organisation for defence. Quite apart from the question of federal defence schemes, most of the Colonies have drawn up schemes for local defence. There have been very excellent schemes put forward by Victoria, New South Wales, Natal, and nearly all the Colonies, and these are revised year by year to meet altered circumstances in order to make them more perfect. The result of this has been, as far as my Committee can see, of very great advantage to the Colonies. Their organisation since these schemes were started about ten years ago has very much improved, and the Committee are exceedingly anxious that the one or two Colonies who have not drawn up schemes of defence should now do it. It is merely a matter of organisation, and involves no money. Nothing has been done in New Zealand, and little in Tasmania.
The Secretary of State.] Have you got a scheme for Canada?
Captain Nathan.] Canada? Yes; we have a scheme which was prepared by the military authorities for the Imperial fortress of Halifax. But we have no proper scheme, and as far as we know the existing military organisa- tion is not by any means fit for the requirements of a big war, if it should ever come, on the land frontier of Canada.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier.] Have you a correspondence at the present time with the Department ?
Captain Nathan.] I will hand you some correspondence afterwards. The Earl of Selborne.] So the only three Colonies where schemes do not exist are Canada, Tasmania, and New Zealand.
Captain Nathan.] In Tasmania there is a scheme, a very old one, but it has never been revised, and it is no longer suitable. A similar remark applies to Western Australia. No scheme has ever been drawn up for New Zealand.
Sir John Forrest.] You want a fresh scheme?
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Sir E. N. C. Braddon.] You want a fresh scheme ? Captain Nathan.] Yes.
Mr. Seddon.] I think as soon as ever we get our harbour defences com- pleted at Auckland, we are going to start from that and submit a scheme.
[Captain Nathan made a remark to the effect that the discussion on military matters should be treated as strictly confidential.]
The Secretary of State.] Yes, what you said just then is important. You see the reports of these proceedings may be published.
Sir George Turner.] I hope not; I suggest we do not publish any. thing.
The Secretary of State.] I am quite content that nothing may be published.
Mr. Reid.] It is for the use of Her Majesty's Government. People make mischief out of everything.
Sir George Turner.] People misconstrue everything that is said. Many of them would misunderstand; taking one paragraph, they would misunder- stand and others would misconstrue.
Captain Nathan.] The question of military manufacturing and educational establishments in the Colonies is the next one for consideration. There has been a proposal to establish a cordite factory in Australasia. My Com- mittee think that that is important.
The Earl of Selborne.] Who proposed that?
Captain Nathan.] It has been proposed in Australia; we do not know by whom it was originally suggested.
Mr. Seddon.] It was submitted to the Victorian Government by a manu- facturing firm here.
Sir George Turner.] We have a bargain, I am sorry to say, which lasts a great number of years with a company, out of which it is very difficult for us to get.
Mr. Reid.] That has been taken over.
Sir George Turner.] No, some other one has been taken over. ticular one has not been taken over.
This par-
Captain Nathan.] The reason of the Committee's recommendation that a factory should be established is that they consider that Australia should be independent of over-sea transport for her warlike stores in time of war.
Mr. Reid.] There is no doubt about that.
Captain Nathan.] Canada has already got an ammunition factory. Mr. Seddon.] New Zealand is in the same position as Victoria: tied down to the ammunition company for some time for ammunition. Might I ask you, Captain Nathan, is it cordite that they intend to supply for ammunition ?
Captain Nathan.] Cordite is used for the small arm ammunition in the Imperial service, and the Colonial small arms should take the same ammu-
nition.
Sir George Turner.] Our difficulty is, we have to import pretty well every- thing that goes into the cartridges; in time of war we might not be able to get it into our Colony. What the Colonial Defence Committee ought to aim at, if possible, is to advise us how, within our actual sources, we could manu. facture everything that would be required.
Captain Nathan.] That is what we want to do, as far as possible.
Sir George Turner.] Something like that would assist us wonderfully. Captain Nathan.] Yes.
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