THE EMPIRE'S CALL

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 664, 15 November 1909, Page 7

THE EMPIRE'S CALL

AHD TBE ANSWER. Omi NEW DEFENCE SCHEME. CBt Eceedoh.) One of the events of the year was the an nouncoment by tho Prime 1 Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), that Padiaraaht ii to bo asked to. sanction a system of compulsory training for tho defence of Now Zealand. Tho public agitation, which reached its culminating point at the last general olectkm, and - was reflected in tire Bpeechos of certain honourable' members who addressod the House on tho subject of military defenco during tiio short Parliamontary session immediately preceding tho Prima Minister's departure for England, no doubt carried material weight. This agitation gave tho Prima Minister a Wd,and emboldoned , him to Submit proposals of a comprehensive character, as already I'uilincd iu Tbs DoHunoN.

But the call which hsa inspired tho con- • • ' viction that the integrity oi tho British dominions depends upon tho efficiency of their internal defences, the extent of thoir expeditionary resources, and the moasuro of their contributions towards tho maintenance of our naval supremacy, is tho call of an Empirt which has realised tho growim? peril of, its situation. In answer to the caU, each of th« groat British oversea dominions is looking U its defences as a matter of Imperial, rathoi than of local, urgency, and otoborating ( schemo of inlenml defence which will follow, as closely as local conditions will allow, th« principles of organisation and training adopted by the British Army Council. With this \m- ,■ (lorstanding i of tho Imperial situation, th» • system of internal defence outlined for 'this, Dominion by tho Prime Minister in his Bud. got bpooch last week becomes easy of analysis. ■

CatcMng tho Hobbledehoy. ' One may, in a general way, commend tho proposals, if for no other reason than that the responsibilities of c'tuonship in regard tc national defence are cleally denned. Tho younn Aew Zcalander of twelve years of ago becomes, as before, a member of tho public school cadot corps Between tho ages of 15 and IS—this is now—ho must train in' tho Defenco Cadet force. Previously only a part of "him" joined tho Dofence Cadets—that, part which 11 as absorbed by tho secondary colleges, as, for <>x« ample, Wellington College and St. Patrick's College—the remainder drifting into technical schools, shops, offices, trades, and so on. Now the whole ot mm is to train, and a \ery good thing too, for if there is any portion of a man's development deceiving of closer attention than any other it tho 15-to-I8 stage. One has onlj to note in a day's march tho number of slouching, hobbledehoys who hang about in groups, smoking cigarettes, never playing tho gdnie, always lookmg-on, to realise what a benefit it must be to their manhood—and the country— to catch them, drill them, and smarten them up generally If tho Gov eminent can aceom-' plish this it will earn some cicdit. The training under which it is propoted to placo tho ' junior and senior cadets is sb-tod to bo of "an elementary and progressive nature" No one mil complain if this "elementary and progressive" training ultimately produces a senioj cadot of tho typo which ihe wiitor saw at th< s wtor-collogo drill competition between thp Wellington College and St. Patnoks College Cadets the other day. Tho bmartness and general efficiency of Wellington Collcgo No. 1 company 1/ were really admirable *> The Compulsory Trainee.

Then come two years of compulsory training, to bo undergone between the riges of 18 and 21. Annually tho compulsory trained will be required to go into camp tor fourteen days' continuous training, 111 addition to putting in > week-night drills and daylight parades during the year This is where the e\ponso is going to como in. Thoso fourteen days must bo paid for, bat by whom? Tho employers? Hardly. The employees? No. The Government? Who else? Tho amount required to bo paid m respect of wages and labour will no doubt bo raised from It will bo a large sum. Roughly speaking, about eight thousand young men attain tho ago of eighteen annually—lG.ooo per two v ears' course, to be transported, fed, and paid. Thero are to bo no uniforms for the compulsory trainees, and this one rather regrets. Tho gain 111 smartness and enthusiasm which would ensue from the uniforming of tho trainee would bo ea great that tho o\penso might bo worth considering, even if the garb were limited to a wardrobe of tho most olemontory and unostentatious kind. Tho trainees wilJ complete thou! annual course by detachments—the training , camps will probably bo maintained for the greater part of the jcar, if necessary—so that tho business of tho public will be affected as little as possible. At tho ond of his two years' course, the traineo passes into the Rescrvo, unless he olects to onhst in tho Territorial liuico, in which ho may servo until ho is 30 years of ago. ' ' The New Zealand Artlve Force. ( . Thero is now to bo considered tlo Doicnci force proper, tho Now Zealand Territorial Army, so to speak It has been proposed thai "an active force of 20,000" Bhall no orgamsod, and concerning this organisation there appcari to be considerable misapprehension. In fact, a certain volunteer officer, who_ really should have known better, publicly k> forced to tho proposed "oxpodiuonarj force of 20,000 men." In the first , placo, thero is in existence at present a New Zealand Army of Defence with an enrolled strength of 01 or 21,000, keen and enthusiastic volunteers. These aro to bo ro-onhstod, and reorganised, for the "active forco of 20,000" referred to. Tliia activo forco will, strictly speaking, bo tho "New Zealand Army of Homfl Defence," a replica of the British Territorial ' Army. With the Wellington Eiflo Battalion, for oiample, the change Will mean that distinctive company units, Mtk distinctive designa- . tion6 and uniforms— i.e. "Wellington Guards," "Zealandia Rifles"—will disappcai. In thou placo will appear a battalion of uniform strength and appoaranco to tho othor battalions ill tho Dominion, consisting of a fixed number of company units, of umtorm strength, uni' iormly attired, and designated "A Company," "B Company," and so on. With the disappear-, auco of the "local company colour," so to speak, vhll also disappear the parochial outlook which causes so much trouble in tho volunteer forces. The companies will loso their identity, and will bo swallowed up in UlO battalion. Thej do things that way in England, and thero is no reason why we should not do likewise, or why wo have so long dallied ovoi tho doin L ! Tho establishment of Ilia Teinlorml Torcc is to bo maintained by voluntary enlistment—it still remains a volun-

toer Eorccr-of. persons■.' between "■' the ;. . agesj:-,.,,;, 1 of 18 and but .if, tho. establish- ; nient falls -below..; 20.000, • selection.;will;:.-1;: bo made' from the",ranks' of •'.the;; trainees.' The'system ,to be, fo]lowed..m l JhiS;:,;>l respect will resemble in. principle''the counties,,;'.'.:-, associations ; created .at' Homo ;to control ,ths '"■;".." enlistments to'tho that is to 6ay, each-district of the. Dominion. . v will be responsible for a.presoribed,.enl.istmcnt.;,'.,?', A compulsory trainee: may,'jUoct; I ' to.''''undone',;., .vying statutory, period of training;'as\a:Hicmber:':,,,';' of tho activo fovco.' ; This would, certainly, ba, •; ,- a niore attractive form',of; service, . nlthoujrh ;;.,'.-,:, it would not be dcsirable^it, ; should bo■ mado■.:■■; , impossibl&-fbr' enlistments,.-in ■ that' .forco. .to. ,' : ; : ba for a less. poriod than three 'ydars/.Thai.U'.;! ought-to:,be insisted/upon.;;;:.;.,':';': ! :;,|r>, Tho '• "Mobile:- Forqe';' ,v l:> ,i; ,• \ ; ; .; , Thorn'remains $0; "mobile force" for,over*,!;,' sea. expeditions.', ' What ■ will be": required ; 0f,. : ;: tho members :of this forco,''-Khich.. vvould'- be ~ organised under -a special: cnlistmoht,\ specify-; : r .: iug conditions of. service and 'preparedness ta .;:'.;: go abroad, is that they ; shall bo bo, organised, ; y' and trained that, they shall bo able'■. to. leave.'■, "- New Zealand at any timo; 1 "fall. in'Vmtli;a, : : division in some other part of the Empirori:;:'.: and automatically'"fit in,"■ to-that.-divisioh,;.: : .'.i v >. ' For. somo time past, the Council Of :Dofonc»". '■' lias been ncgotiafant'-with. thV Lands Dopart -:,: ■ ment with reference to tho acquisition of suit'.,' able areas' in- the. North ; ahd;/Southlsland!;;'',for, training grounds..,".'The idea;of, centraL'.', : '-:': .training, grounds . has: been.:kept"6teadily; in'o ;;,- view over sinco the issue, by the "British Arm) .. \ Council, of;tho,now,'scheme of military train*'; -.; ing, which was,designed to 'bring the,, methods.' ;>; of, instruction all over 1 tho Empfro into l unw,' fortuity. ; This - scheme, .waa'' poblishcd'iß-: 1 . 1 The DoMikiou some timeingo. It'is believed,.'.; also, that in anticipotioiiyof tlid-now methods : and ' organisation; vthe Council has f0r.,50ra»;. ; ,.;; .time past been engaged'-.in>:perfecting..;plain'-, for tho systematic,instruction' of: men .attend- "■,'■'■!:■'' ing. these training camps. L Everything, it -\ ieX •';'■;'. understood, is in roadincss, for the. asamt of :-,■ Parliament. With a* full, knowledge- of the ;'. ; position, tho .writer urges critics to':giyo jthovX new scheme a . trial..-: Mistakes may bo; mode,., and! the whole structure.' pruned' down .here,,':: - and trailt up there.,: Somd of thoso who; hnro. :' been starting ■'from tho homotops, that "tlio;,-';: timo has now~arrived when a svstoni of..comi '■':■ ;-.. pulsory training, etc.', etc., etc;,'; do not: know !('■ what it is that thby wcro asking.for.;. 'In th,v, ; v opinion of the :wriW it. will; bo quite three ;': years before the scheme will; be In; such av, „ position,; that-it'can. bo criticised: as ;n going; '■■{■} concern., >. : ;:..V'. -.'.;'.-,'.. :'X.;a? :;U:\'::~A-'- :