COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 663, 13 November 1909, Page 10

COMPULSORY TRAINING.

'■STATEMENT BY THE HUME MINISTER. j ■ ifir'Tplccraph'-Preiis'Atooclfttltei'' wu'n' ■■. Xhrjstchurclt, November 12. ■•II to Prime Minister, discussing the question of compulsory, military training, 'said two training camps should; be established ■within reasonable distance from" the trunk systems of railway in ..both . islands. • They. required at leasp 12,000 acres, for each: camp (15,000 acres would bo better);: The whole of tho necessary equipment- would- be 'permanently'resident' at the camp -to.epable work thatwas regarded as so essential in the.-matter. of training to bo roadily available for those taking part, genoral arrangements would bo such .that tho men could be in attendance at suitable times throughout tho year, so .as to receive, the un- ' deniable benefits referred:.to. : With 'large areas of. land every branch of military training could be carried' out, and the areas must be sufficiontly large to provide for artillery work and to .ensure that training, generally was carried out in a practical way. Instead of having the irregular and uncertain system of what were known as Easter camps, there would be a recognised and definite system' of progressive military work. The camps.required to be in.central positions in both islands;; so that instead of. men being carried long distances in one direction; they would impinge upon a given cenfrom, the extreme ends of each island, thus evadingi.the present unsatisfactory ' system of long'distance travelling. As soon as. the legislation was outlined'by Parliament,'the requisite land in both islands would be. set aside "for the camps. , On the score of economy,, the buildings that'.were required, being of a permanent nature, should in the long run effect a 'considerable saving. :■•■•'..' : ..'■;" '■ '"''■■ '

VIEWS OP'LJOEUTENANT-COLONEIi' ..;■ .-:/;: ;.. Patterson. v^(Br Teleirrapli.-SDi!clal Oorre«oondoot.l .. :;'" • .'■••■',' Auckland, , :■! "I think that Sir Joseph Ward has risen to the occasion'in theadoption'of universal training," said Lieut-Colonel (i. W. S. Patterson, Officer Commanding tho Auckland Garrison Artillery, when interviewed on the subject by a "'Herald" representative. "It has been a mystery to me why he has not adopted it sooner, but he has left it until people shojred that they wanted it, and that they have wanted it they ha.vo certainly, shown/ The physical and moral advantages to be ,gained tiy adopting a system of: universal training are incalculable, and from the point of view of defoaco I am confident tho inception of the scheme will prove an epoch in our history. The full benefits will not at first be.realised,..but ; it ia whea we ' begin to look ten or' twenty yeftru ahead that we see what it really means. 'Accordjng to a statement made by Sir J. Ward before leaving New Zealand to attend the Imperial Defence Conference, there are at" pie.sent ssme 185,000 men capable of bearing arms in 'New Zealand. It will be seen; ttereforo, that in about twenty years' time,-when : .'!thie scheme has had a thorough, trial, we, shall'have some 200,000' trained and in training ready to .bear,arms. Wo are not likely, bo far as 1 can pee, , to' meet.with anj serious emergency in "ais part of the world for tie.next twenty years, and at the end of that time with 200,000 men ■ available I' should: Bay, taking' into consideration tho matter of distance, that we should then be easily able to cope with'any ;enomy likely to come along. The scheme, my opinion, is absolutely sonnd, and' guarantees (the 'security :of Now Zealand from : invasion by a foreign foe."