MILITARY TRAINING.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18237, 22 November 1924, Page 14

MILITARY TRAINING.

. »• TO/THE EbiitOß. OP "THE PBESB." Sir—l. observed recently in your paper a list of somp 50 men fined for riot ;' attending drill: therefore 1 this movement does not appear to be specie your parts.. Before Endeavouring, to point out tlia.t one regulation : of> this military measure is, in rmy .opinion, «in imposition, I hope you wiil permit a brief prelude. J cqnfeis to. being no Napoleon, but from experience gained with Volunteers and' later with the Imperial Yeomanry iiij South Africa. I have come to ;tlie conclusion that it is jjiiite possible to'train'any ordinarily intelligent man-how '-to place his feet and how to : 10ose> off- his rifle with a minimum of risk to himself and his comrades within, the space of three weeks. I believe the. training in this Dominion is more or less perpetual from the. age of about 14 upwards j-.<Lnd is carried on very much on lines similar to those of 30 years back, .since when methods of warfare hare, so. I am informed, altered so much owing to long range from, aircraft, tainks and' gas. It is, I believe, generally conceded! that an enemy warship could lay comfortably some 10 miles off the coast and reduce the town of Timaru to

... pulp within four and . a-half minutes. At the same time, their aircraft drop- •. ping- giis bombs over the now scattered . rural districts could not fail to incite tilings \moomfortable for all and sun- ... dry. At the moment I venture to ' risk —Would it "be any good to anyone for the Home. Frirces to commence [ "forming fours" even if there were any r fours left to form? If the solution of the problem of our safety is to be found " by enemy warships and aii craft ' :strict warning to • keep right oif the premises (or getting Britain to do so) —" then the question must arise as to -whether Home-trained Forces, trained, ; no doubt, at considerable expense, are likely to become of actual use? Now for tho imposition.' A young man ol : my acquaintance recently received a ; printed note .requiring him to attend a medical inspection parade. He . ■ attended, but seeing nothing of any . .doctor or of any medical appliances, • he was then informed that the parade - ' was not really a medical one, but they >vwere just using the medical forms ' because the proper ones were not avail- . In;the darkest hours.of the Do- ■ .. i.miiuori's peril I do trust, the, authcri- •' will ha.ve at hand a proper stock . ibayonets and 'not have to substitute peiis! To resume. The young i' a PP u .for exemption, on medical greeted local >Tso.advised /roust" present 'his' exemption

; iPonUaxtad at foot of noxt column.)