COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 486, 20 April 1909, Page 4

COMPULSORY TRAINING.

The arguments for compulsory training in the interests of national defence were urged with force and unanimity by '. the representative citizens who held a pre-. liminary meeting to discuss:this question yesterday. There, was a . little hesitation as to the immediate. steps which should be taken by the meeting, but not the slightest difference of opinion as to the necessity for some form, of compulsory training being adopted. - The speakers emphasised the distinction, which we pointed out in our leading article yesterday, between compulsory : service, which, may take a man away from home and prevent him from • following his usual avocation, • add' : compulsory; training, which merely requires the devotion by him of a small proportion of his' time to acquiring such a general, knowledge of military requirements as will make him not entirely useless as a soldier should he ever be called upon to, take the'; field.. .! It is true, as the Hon. It A; Loughim* pointed out, that in a sense,we Have al- , ways the elements of compulsion in the ' existence' of an • inactive,• but enrolled militia, who could bo summoned to bear arms at any moment should necessity arise. If it i 6 necessary to provide for a prospective miHtia-rarid'that necessity has not yet been questioned—it is >siirely necessary to provide that the !meinb'erS of ■. this, force shall know one, end:, I ,o'£V,rifle from'the other, and ! understand ; at least • a;.smattering 'of 'field tactics, before' the f day of reckoning- 'comes., : The;'first .duty of the'citizen is ito be able to-dcfend-his home, and that is > 'responsibility' for which thousands are not fitted in theso complex days, when to speak the truth, to draw the bow, and such Other simple .requirements are no longer the sole bur- ? dens of a'citizen. 'We believe that thero - is a' large , preponderance of > opinion ! > throughout the country, in favour of coml pulsory training-in some The time which would be required for camps would be very readily' sacrificed by most" r. employers' if the potential soldier were giving-up time to training on 19 other occasions, and if the employer-knew bimself' to be assisting' in an." adequate !, and thorough system of defence. It is obvious that with a much larger number of men undergoing training, it would'be necessary to hold more, encampments than at present, since an entire provincial force could no Irager go into camp at = once; The greater frequency of encampments would have a beneficial effect upon the permanent staff, who would 1 gain more experience of the handling of .large bodies of men. We hope that at the mass \ meeting which, is to be called to further the scheme of compulsory training the - same view; will be taken of the question ; which did credit to the preliminary gath- . cring. , V '.''. ,