NATIONAL TRAINING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 813, 10 May 1910, Page 6

NATIONAL TRAINING.

DIFFICULTY POINTED OUT.

With'regard to the proposal to ralsa the age-limit in connection with the national training scheme from 21 years to 25 years, Mr. James Allen, M.Pj for Bruce, upon being interviewed by S Dunedin reporter, said: — "It means that the Prime Minister will havo to amend the Act of lass year, and make national training compulsory, lip to twoilty-fivo years of .age—what I have been pegging away at for a long tini'i myself, though I advocated. por« hap!-, ail even higher age. However, I shall be perfectly satisfied _ if Lord Kitohenor's recommendations for twonty-fivc years are adopted. I do nob know exactly what tho Prime Minister melius to do' with regard to the present volunteers," continued Mr. Allon., "It inay bo that the bulk of thein will drop out of the service—those who, aro over tweuty-fivo years—but that is a matter of detail that will bo explained later. No doubt there is a difficulty. It is this. Between 21 and 25 years of age there are about 65,000 iiion in New Zealand, and tho Prime Minister only, wants 20,000 of them to, form his territorial force. The difficulty will be to pick those 20,000. That is where I am afraid. there is a weakness in the proposal—a- weakness duo to the fact that it is settled that wc only want 20,000 men. "If we are going to take all those available," he continued, "we would probably have between 40,000. and 50,000 men to be.trained, after making allowanco for exemptions for physical unfitness, etc. To select 20,000 out of double that number is the difficulty. I don't see how any system of selection is going to work satisfactorily unless the men of available age are to bo called upon to give some servico to tile otara equivalent to what the soldier will gno. Otherwise, immediately you pick the 20,000 you may damage them m_ reaard to their civil employment. # That CPMiot bo. They must suffer no injury of that kind if they (are prepared to serve their country. No balloting will meet it, in my opinion, unless there is something added to tho effeot that those balloted out are to givo somo other service. If I had my way I would train tho whole 40,000 or 50,000 available. I don't know that it would involve so very much moTe money. The question of money'is certainly involved, but wo havo to face the difficulty, somehow."

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