A FAILURE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20173, 27 February 1931, Page 18

A FAILURE.

VOLUNTARY TRAINING.

AUSTRALIAN MILITIA. (TKOK ova owx cosussokbihi.) SYDNEY, February 19, It cannot be said that the hope of the Labour Government in Australia that a voluntary militia would fill the /place of a conscript army has been fulfilled. The muster at the first camps held since the abolition of the compulsory training system has been very disappointing, and the staffs and/ officers have boen greatly disappointed. Just what the politicians think is not known, for they have been silent. • The attendance at home training parades has been just as disappointing, and unless it improves it may be necessary to abolish military training altogether. The paper strengths of the various units is quite satisfactory, but the attendance at camps and parades is usually about 40 per cent. Divisional officers believe that tho economic position is partly responsible. for the small attendances at tho camps. Tho depression is blamed for most things these days. However, •militia officers report that most of the trainees who were asked to attend the camps said they were dubious about applying for leave, as they feared that they would not find their jobs waiting for them when they returned. Some extraordinary situations were revealed when battalions wore organised at Melbourne camps. One battalion marched in 150 strong, but could muster only seven rifle and Lewis gun men after the requirements of the vital specialist units, such as machine-gunners, signallers, and other details, cooks, orderlies, and fatigue men, had been filled. The whole organisation was built up round those seven men, who comprised the actual fighting troops of the unit. Another battalion, when organised on a company basis, could find only J4 men, whereas normally tho company comprises 150 men. A third battalion marched in with the full strength of one company con- • sisting of fivo officers, one warrant officer, three sergeants, 10 corporals, and three privates—six to every ranker. To meet the changed conditions in. the camp the whole system of training was altened. The object now is to turn out at the end of the camp 'a nucleus of highly and intensively trained non-commissioned officers, and specialists, and a handfjil of privates who will be qualified as lancecorporals or senior privates. All surplus officers and n.c.o.'s were brigaded. It-is not thought that tho scheme will achieve much, for -very soon there will be no men to train anywhere in Australia. Soldiering is not popular in the Commonwealth.