THE RUSH FOR SOLDIERING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1016, 4 January 1911, Page 4

THE RUSH FOR SOLDIERING.

1 IS WELLINGTON FAVOURED? ;Br Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) Christchurch, January 3. Th'e local newspapers this morning publish a letter from a correspondent protesting against tho proposal that the candidates for admission to the Australian Military College should have to go to "Wellington for examination. He says: "This would be most unfair, giving Wellington a great advantage over the rest, of the Dominion, and possibly keeuiug many eligible candidates from arralymg on tho scoro of expense.' I take it"that a candidate from lnvercargill would do very well if he made the trip under £o, and then with only a chance of being successful, while. the Wellingtonian can take his chance without any expense whatever. This seems to mo to be against tho spirit of the scheme, which is that no.lad shall have.any advantage over another except isuch;'natural or-'acquired advantages as belong to physique, character, and education./ Taking this last point, it seems that -some' attention should be paid to character and record. For instance, a boy Who has never played games, or gone in for .manly;sports of any sort -might,.: after getting sufficient pass marks, pass tho very moderate physical test,' and yet prove, absolutely. unlit for the arduous life that is,planned out for these cadets. He would probably be 'retired' after a few months, and would have excluded some fine young fellow with tho makings of;a real soldier, who, although a. few marks behind him in. the paper examination, would have been miles ahead in judgment, observation, and general physical fitness and capacity for leadershipall those attributes without which an officer's training is so much effort, thrown away. The money spent on these lads is New Zealand money, .the taxpayers' money, and no one will grudge it in ' so good a cause, but it behoves tho authorities to see that, they get good value for' . the expenditure, and that the lads chosen shall be typical of all that is best 'in New Zealand. • It should be a sort of. Rhodes scholarship test, with: equal points for education, physique (including active tests), and schoolaud club'records. This would bring together the pick of New Zealand in brain, grit, and muscle."