TRAINING THEM.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1259, 14 October 1911, Page 6

TRAINING THEM.

THE GENERAL AT AUCKLAND. SOME POINTS EXPLAINED. (By Tolcsraph.-PrcES Association.) Auckland, October 13. General Godley arrived in Auckland this morning to confer with Colonel 'Wolfe and the staff on matters connected, with (ho inauguration of the new defenco schemo in tho district. "I do not think that tho matter is rightly understood in anno quarter.?," said General Godley to a "Star" reporter when tho question of tho 33 per cent, reduction was mentioned. "Tiicro is no idea of modifying tho universal nature of the training in tho senior cadet stages. Between the ages of fourteen and eighteen it will lie absolutely universal. Only those (probably about fivo per cent.) to whom the training might do physical harm are not being taken, but, when wo come to the territorial army, tho conditions are somewhat different. Only those who are thoroughly and absolutely fit can bo taken—men who can carry their pack of 50 to 001b. and march twenty miles a day—and the. average of elimination in tins country will probably work out, as was stated in Parliament last year, at about 33 per cent. It may bo more in some cases, and less in others. "It is in tho senior cadet stages that ■this physical training will bo given absolutely universally. At present we have quite enough to do to get the territorial force started with the thoroughly tit, but as soon as it has a fair start the Government intend to consider the question of braining the balance, either in tho general training section or perhaps.by raising second battalions, etc. Our hands aro now full without considering this nt once, and it will have to wait for consideration until next vear. "Tho position, put shortly, is that, from It to 18, you have a school of physical training, but from IS onwards the army is for the defence of tho country, and in it yon can therefore only have the physically fit, and must eliminate those who arc not." On tho question of prosecutions for failure to register, General Godlev stated that tho Government hoped that tho schemo would go on without any necessity to prosecute, but the, law, of course, must bo upheld, and, if necessary, legal proceedings would have to bo taken. Tho Government wished to give ovcrvbodv a chance of fulfilling his duties as a citizen without submitting him to the indignity of Court proceedings. It had to bo remembered that, quite, apart from tho question of prosecution, auvbodv who did not register thereby forfeited his rights as a citizen, and, in the future, would not bo entitled to vote. "I do not think," continued General Godley, "that it is generally realised that a man will automatically lose his rights as a citizen if he neglects to fulfil his obligation for military services, and, speaking personally, I should think that'this, in itself, would bo a sufficient deprivation without any fear of a prosecution." When asked whether there was anything in tho rumour that it was not proposed to continue the training up to the ago of twenty-five, General Godley said:— 'Iho law says that a man must bo' trained up to tho age of twenty-five, and there is no intention of altering the law, but, subject to tho upkeep of the establishment, tlio regulations contemplate that, after four years' service, which is the nunimum time in which the military authorities consider a man can be made efficient, a man may (if he has made himself efficient during that time), bo allowed to go to the reserve. The effect of this would be- that a man would be then ablo to go to the reserve at the ago of twentytwo instead of at twenty-live, thereby shortening the training bv throe years', iho ago must bo retained legally at twenty-five, in caso it should bo neee«ary to keep men up to that age, as, for instance, in case the population suddenly decreased, or there occurred an outbreak of an epidemic. The population is, fortunately, increasing, and there is, I hope, no fear of an epidemic. So (ho effect will practically bc.jthat'.'tlmsewho wish to go to tho reserve will be able to do so after four years' efficient service." In conclusion, General Godlev stated that the training under tho new defence schemo would start nt the end of this month. There would bo a force of 22,000 in tho Dominion, while tho slren"th would bo brought up to 30,000 in four years. Encampments would Iw held between Christmas and tho end of Slav, but tho sites and definite dates had not yet been fixed.