LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 12, 9 October 1907, Page 6

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

THE DOMINION. COMPULSORY "MILITARY/' ' & ; - : >|:: vi : .:. ■' / -■• .'■ : ;f ■■' (' iff Legislative : Council yoster-. 'the . Hon. R. ; A.' Loughnan pympyed;,in accordance with notice:— i,^, •prUeSrto.''effectively defend. £;V the Dominion against possible enemies, p; : .;ifc«is ,'i'niperative: that all able-bodied I y(adiilt*males should bo trained to the .arms, and instructed in such ;; >; lhijitary or naval'drill as maybe neces- |,'. ,£ao for the purpose." ... V pyM .Ther- mover referred, at-the outset, |; ■ tofthe.'i -Peace Society, whose branches, :>--_■■ &e£ said;\' appeared.. to have become fc'. alarmed at the -Defence. Council's de-f;--;'cision-to enroll the militia.' The mem\P. .befs 6£ the Peace: Society- were thponly i\ .popple j_who had a right 'to object to f", the" .principle, cf,his motion, but he 5-./-.th'quglit their amicable ideas' of uni-.. k:,ye^sal^goodwill wore not 'based upon £•■: inadequate' appreciation 'of the lessons '• '"'> •, . - •'. ; [.';. 'iWars'Becomihg More .Frequent. f.'.jV. Even the Hague had been •'j BnaWo'to/agree to compulsory arbitrai'j'tion'in cases affecting national hen•'■j our; and theso were the only ques-l'■'..-}itidns -■ on'. which nations ever,went to ;./ ; \ii&: '>• Moreover, Germany, China, .*; ; ; iTijrkey, and Austria had stood out of ;-'. ; the} arrangement.' l . ;-!Tlie- efforts of- .the; h ; Conference to make war less' destruc- ;;. : itiv<e, ;both to combatants and' non- '. combatants, also led one to believe that '■.', ■. ithe days of war were not by any means Indeed, to make war' j- !'eaSierj| would involve making it more Trpm 1853 to '1904 there ''i.itiia'been nine great wars, or a war ; : ','; ritoi'.eyery five - and; a 'half ■ years. That : [i ;■■;■, rtlid net' look as though the. Poaco f ■ "Societies had a log to stand upon wheii jii; they said/there was going to-be no ! ; ■'.''anbro war..... > ■ ...-.'■.■'• , ' ~ ■; . 1\: (The Duty of Service. >.; V.". It ; was accepted by overy nation ■: v [worthy of the name that it was every ,- V man's duty to help in' the defence of !/,'.his'country. 'We, in this country, had i • 'acknowledged this in' the Militia Act, '■'... but unless the men woro trained, they I could only ; be called out to die. ;'; :;Hon.^;,((.,:.Jones:; Or run away! t- -XL'a'ugh'te'r'.;)" : ,';' U, . - ~ ' ... j'.)-:. Mr. Lbughman said he was surprised f'::'to'.heaf such a suggestion, even if it jV'. -was made in jest. No man of our raco j'V Would.,stand up against an enemy and (■ ' run away. • They f would go down with '.!:. their arms-- and -<acc6utrements ■ stajned J'' |'swith their own blood, not that of'the ].: v . enemy. ' 1,7 ' -A Councillor: "How could thoy get ;.; : 'bt us—past the ships?" •-.': .Mr. .Loughman: " Sir, wo are not I :iat.sea.". 'The mover went on to speak ■'.of the danger." ef • the countries of !-.. .western civilisation being overrun by. ij //'Asiatic hordes. *He instanced the' '. .medieval invasions of Europe by tho '■-.■:- Turks and.the Saracens, and the more I; ..recent,' eastward- movement of Russia ;; checked by Japan. ; ;•' Conscription., . ' j ■'[ '■■ It remained to consider how an j-'"-,'."adequate defence - force could be pro- ; vided...,. There were, three, alternatives : ■':' —conscription, a.voluntary recruiting '.- .system, and of Volunf,; teer forces. Conscription in this couni: try would be too unpopular. It might j , bo abused, and it'would withdraw too [' many men-.'from industry.' Ho did not advocate the system. A Volunteer army, like the British, was good, but thero could not bo enough of it. A French general onco said that the British army was the best in tho world, , but "thank God thero is not much of s it." "We, therefore, had to fall back on tho Volunteers. Thero wore ! in this country Volunteers and cadets and partially-trained, ,men totalling 32,000. The census showed that there were 277,673 men • between the ages ef 16 and 60. The Volunteer system had en-