CHAIR OF MILITARY SCIENCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 732, 3 February 1910, Page 5

CHAIR OF MILITARY SCIENCE.

SOME OFFICERS' VIEWS,

(By .TelecraDii.—Special; OoriesDondenU . Christchtirch, February s, v officers>;iri 'CKristchurch'gener- : : ,a]ly regard the; proposal-' to: establish Via Scit'ncc at Canterbury- • College with approval. They recogmso generous character;,of;.:Lieut.-Col<mel - Ehoffcs's'offer.to subsidise ■ tho vv. and, : .express\their: .willingness to help 'as far as possible.to make,the schopoe" a-sue-; CCS9.

•;:;. Lieut.-Coloiiel' G.,v J;,. Smith;-told *:a -ire--; porter that a twa-years'.icourße, should bo ''. sufficient to give the regiiiredttraining in ./theoretical ..work.. -It might be as well at ' present' to confine tho * establishment of J .one' Chairsin Military Science .to Canterbury College, but eventually, inhis opin:;v.iori,it:,wbuld;bo neoessary to;.make\simi-. ; T for: instruction.'in-military : fmattersJat' . tlie other; colleges' of ; tho Dominion:

.Lieut,-Colonel- .Cooper ;also expressed the opinion 'that it '.would-be '-necessary ito' •'/ professorial-'chair in each of. ''.the number/of',' 6f- .■ ; ;.l)e' required' When' the\new /. Vf ; defence:'Echeme ,was' brought;, into opera-■-,.provided for; the training; of ■ men '.ambiti- : ■ ■: ■ ■ ous - of sMu'ring.commissions;.':111 a ; chair' Jwas, established:'in ..Chiistchurch-.it: would; . he unfair to ask men.to come, from,'Otago' Southland' to:.receive-.theirtraining, ; and for a similar reason men in tho North Island would li* handicapped if a ; .ohair.tTOs.set-up in-Wellington .only.; { Colonel''Slater said -,he . had for 7ears : ;past jbeeh; advocating the?,establishment of a' schooV-'conducted on similar linos

to the West Point Academy, or the Kingeton School in : Canada for the training:of' ■ young men to fit them to hold • commislioned rank. The suggestion that.a chair . . jhould be established at: Canterbury Col-.' i ' lege ;'for-instruction: .in: military, science . \ was - a:.big step : ,in - advance,:.but the best ' -possible: re-sulta would not. bo obtained YuntU a residential institution was provided at which young men'would'bo sub'-' which, , while' it might :\ be regarded', as irksome at the time, would lie a strong: force in fitting them' to take their places'in.tho world; He considered that at-present it would be sufficient to ; establish one Chair of Military Science, ;.' 'and '-to'.centralise; the instruction -in - tac-tics;-but'sooner.or later such a 'school as he had described should be (established, : .:■ and it would then be advisable for youths of from seventeen, to nineteen:to undergo, a course.of . three or four years. It did not follow that'all the students should -': enter' the' Defence-Force; ■ . -'What .was wanted.'was education, and study.-