MILITARY TRAINING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1643, 9 January 1913, Page 6

MILITARY TRAINING.

r CHBISTCHURCH'S UNENVIABLE DISTINCTION. (By Oof respondent,) ' Christchurch, January B.' • In an article on the progress of tho defence scheme, 1 a writer in the "Lyttolton Times" makes some very outspoken rei marks about tho failure of,,Christchurch to do'its full duty in this respect. Uo says: Christchurch has'the unenviable dis- , tinction of being the least efficient of oil the cities in tho matter of. military train-, ing, l Tho West Coasted this' island' is worse from the Defence Department of view beoauw there tho authorities have so far been able to mako no (sort of pro: gross. 'Tho West Coasters havo been defiant, and steps have not yet lxxm takou to them into, the fold; but Christchiiroh is the headquarters of an important military district.. It is a big city, ■ where volunteering used to- flourish, it prides itself on its public spiirt and its patriotism, yet it is pretty'safo to say that there is not a' : town in Now' Zealand whero tho response to the call of tho Stato jn respect to the national training has,been loss hearty, excepting only on the West Coast. There is not a centre i whero attoudanoo at parades has • been poorer, whero less enthusiasm , has been 6hown, and whero less interest is taken by the public in the progress of the scheme. /.There is certainly no centre where the anti-militarists have niade more noise. This may be a case of effect and cause, or it may not. Whatever the exElamation may prove to be, Cliristchurch as no reason to bo proud of its distinction. , ■