LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1706, 25 March 1913, Page 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

MUDDLED RAILWAY INFORMATION. Sir,—My thanks aro duo to you for tho trouble you havo taken in placing my complaint re railway matters before the proper authorities. Unfortunately, tho explanation given cannot bo deemed satisfactory, sinco it is merely a gratuitous reflection on both my veracity and my intelligence. As I do not appear to havo sufficient intellect to understand directions intended for tho general public, perhaps Mr. Honayne will bs kind enough to account for the following discrepancies:— 1. On, Thursday, March 20, according to advertisement in Tub Dominion, the 7.50 a.m. Lambtan-Woodvillo train was to stop at Petone, at Lower Hutt, and at Upper Hutt. 2. On Thursday, March 20, according to an official and an official indicator at tlio Lainbton station, the above-mentioned train was not to stop before Masterton. 3. On Thursday, March 20, tho abovementioned train stopped both at Petono and at Lower Hutt. Belying on tho official information received at the station, I waited for the next train, 8.20, and, in consequence, was una,blo to reach Lower Hutt in order to begin my professional duties at the ap-. 1 poiuted hour. The public, whicli has tho privilege of paying for railway facilities, is surely entitled to accurate official information. I sliajl bo glad if you will publish this letter, in order that others whose brain power may be equally limited may profit by my experience. Thanking you in anticipation.—l am, etc., '• . PHOEBE MYERS. March 22. WEDNESDAY CRICKET MANAGE. MENT?

Sir,—l was very much amused on reading The Dominion last Thursday morning, in which, under the heading of Cricket, a paragraph appears, that the "Wednesday Association were sending (?) away to Auckland two teams, as nearly as representative of senior and junior playing strength as possible. How avnusmg! I really cannot, for the life of me, see how the association can take tho credit of sending the players away, when you tako into consideration that each one has to bear all and sundry expenses. Perhaps their energetic secretary can explain this problem ? How is it that a manager was not appointed to take cliarge and arrange matters for the players? It is true that a player in each eleven (?) was told to look after his team. The funny part is that the man who was to look after the members of the senior team arrivd in Auckland last Thursday, and those who were placed in his care did not leave here until to-day. I, along with others, went to the station to sec the players away, fully expecting to hear that two full teams were making tlio trip. To my utter surprise and astonishment I learned that only seventeen players, all told, woro going, which, speaks volumes for tlie able manner in which tho association carry out and arrange the teams' tour 3. Is there any wonder they cannot obtain players to mako the journey when the secretary doos not advertiso until the very last minute—too late for a player who would be only too pleased to mako .one of the party to ask for the extra two days' leavo from his employer. Trusting that I liavo not imposed too mucli on your valuable time and space, and thanking vou for your fcind attontion,—l am, etc./ CHAKLES A. WILSON. March 22.

INTERFERENCE. Sir,—l happened to be strolling along the Lyall Bay beach this afternoon (Good Friday) when I witnessed an exhibition in life-saviug with a new patent apparatus when I. was horrified to notice that a man was in difficulties some seventy-five yards from shore. By good fortune the exhibitors happened to be near tho sccne and effected a very smart rescue. Now, sir, what I wish to point out Is tho fact that the public, both in and out of the water, considerably interfered both in tho work of rescue and also with tho appliances used. The question I' would like to ask Is: Is thore any law or by-law to remedy this glaring evil, and, if -so, why is it not enforced ? If there is no law, then I think it high time that the existing conditions were remedied, both in tho interests _of "the public safety and to assist that willing body of swimmers who devote such a considerable amount of their spare timo fur such a noble cause. In all future exhibitions of this kind, I hope that the public will be prevented from interfering with tho men. or the appliances—l am, etc., INTERESTED SPECTATOR:

THE BOYS ON THE AMOKURA. Sir,—l can ecarccly express my astonishment at reading in to-day's paper of an inquiry to 1 be held re flogging, otc., on the Amokura. My son was with Captain Hooper for 18 months, and was perfectly happy, and always spoke of. the good times tliey had. When we resided in Wellington I was on ithe ship soverol limes, and I think 1 knew all the hoys fairly well, and I never heard a complaint from any of them. I may mention that my son had rather severe attacks of quinsy while on board, and received unremitting care and attention from both captain and officers. I should send any boys I had with every : confidence to Captain Hooper. Trusting you will bo ablo to find space for this in your valuable paper.—l am, etc., L. M. BEERY. . Nejson.

SHOULD THE STATE TEACH . RELIGION? Sir,—The reasons given by "J.M.O " for ; objecting to religion being taught in schools are not sound ones, and if taken to their logical conclusion are a total condemnation of religion. You will notice 1 that he mentions as countries where religion was, or taught in tho Stato schools France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Peru, Mexico, and Russia, all excepting the last being countries where Roman Catholicism predominates. Tho revolt in Fiance against religious instruction in schools was not so much a revolt against religion as against religious teaching that many of tho people had outgrown, and which .were not in sympathy with the needs and knowledge of the time._ It was moro than anything a revolt against tho dominion of the R.C. priesthood, whoso head was a foreign Pope. "J.M.C." says that ,statesmen in France were convinced that the abolition of the teaching of religion in tho Stato schools was nccessary to tho country's salvation. Perhaps they meant. by this tho religion which was •taught, which is only a form of_ Christianity, and not that tho teaching of Christianity was a menace to tho welfare of the country. Churchianity has beon tho curso of Christendom, and to leach any form of it in our schools would bo a grievous mistako. Let Christianity for once be taught, a religion, which has so far never had a fair chance. Let our children be taught to love and fear God. to love their fellow men, and to treat them well, to sacrifice themselves for tho good of others; in other words, to worship Christ b,v endeavouring to do His will cu earth as it is done iu Heaven. Tho Christianity to_ bo taught in schools must bo iion-sectarian, and for that reason it is nccessary that representatives of all the chief sects be commissioned to produce text books that embody Christianity, but no particular form of it. By giving all children the same grounding in Christianity, wo shall bring the ideal of a united Christendom within measurable distance of becoming: a fact, a religion in which tho adherents are agreed on tho vital parip and are agreed to differ on tlioso that are less important. I admit that there is danger lest tho Government might try to force on an unwilling peoiile a dogmatic form of Christianity, of which il does not approve, but thb people have the remedy for that in their own hands. Tho danger involved in an increasingly largo part of a nation, being destitute of all beliefin God and lib longer under the restraining influcnco of Christianity, is far more pressing, and is one that- is moro and more iti evidence in each fresh out- . break of labour trouble. If Christianity is n power for good, it 'should not bo disassociated from tho Slate, which needs its life-giving influcnco in every ono of its .Departments, but it is Christianity it needs, not n narrow form of it, such as iu tilt* past, hus been tho cause of cndlcro trouble to the Slate, and untold misery to couutlw-s numbers of ils people, and lias been the means of giving religion and its i influenco a bad uame, from which it will i take many years to rec«vcr,-I <uu. iXS,

MILITARY TRAINING. Sir,—The forces of this Dominion nunibor about 35,000 men. These men aro Lng> lishmen, and wo certainly believe thru they are individually at Jeast C( iJ ia J ~t u tlio men of any other nation, jiut tho nature and extent of their military training leaves a great doubt as to whether they would bo able to meet another nation on 'a faii' footing, that nation being scientifically and thoroughly trained m the art of war. You would not willingly embark in' a ship whoso crew you know to be inefficient; how much more should you not allow the defence of your nation to be neglected or only partially prepared for? i There is little public interest taken in military matters, and the army is kept s\> well out of sight that the man 111 the street does not even understand what constitutes preparedness. The people do not realise that war has becomo a most difficult science, the study of which includes many different branches. Ino limit of time that the Continental armies allow for tlio making of a man into a soldier is two years* continuous < training, and this is all too short a period. J.he training of our men consists of tho occasional ministrations of a well-paid ser-geant-major at home and once a year a week or so in camp. There aro many. Qi these sergeant-majors ministering to tiny units of men in country districts; they work very hard under great difficulties, and probably merely servo to teach the men, enough to tumble over each other when they get to We have seen a similar- state of things in England w'uli regard to the Territorials,_ who m a like manner used to get a drill in once or twice in the week. Anything moro pitiful than these men when out for a few days manoeuvring cannot be imagined. They were fine men, and willing, but they knew nothing of camp life; they had no idea oi how to mako themselves comfortablo in. bivouac, and passed hideously cold and restless, nights; iu many cases their hoots were unsuitable, and the result of their ignorance was that after a day or so tne roads were littered with their stragglers— this, mind you, in peace; heaven knows what would have befallen them in war. Many no doubt of our countrymen would never have failed in this mannerit is the townbrcd men that do so, and tho only possiblo way of training men in these first principles is to give them their training in camp,' and gradually accustom thorn to the altered conditions. It is reckoned to take two years to make a soldier; this does not- necessarily 4 iuean that he cannot be made proncient'in his actual duties in under that time, but it is tho shortest ayerage < period in which discipline can bo ingrained as a new instinct in him. As war becomes moro and moro scientific, the outcome of a conilict depends more and more on the absolutely mechanical obedience to the direct orders of superiors, and on the mechanical carrying out of the lessons that were taught m peace time. Then the whole army moves like a. well-regulated machine to its objective; and any force that has not tho similar consolidation of discipline will 6urely" bo broken before it. As the numbers get smaller, gradually dwindling down to a combat between two inen, the amount of initiative thrown on individuals increases, and eo it has becomo that a soldier must be able both to obey orders and to think for himself. Most Englishmen, and particularly colonials, aro of an independent nature, and resent any. rc- . straint. It seems hardly likely that our . men will learn in a week or so what it takes a highly military nation liko tho Germans at least two-years to acquire. Discipline is not learnt individually ; it cannot be taught at home in tho evening, it is only after men have acquired in numbers tho practical part of their training that they begin to feel that spine of unity and confidenco in their fellow's and | in their loaders that makes for discipline. The conclusion is obvious: To cease trying to instruct the men at home, except in the big towns, where there is a drill hall and where numbers can bo gathered together; and to spend the money in prolonging the period in camp. A month in camp, or even three weeks, would give a man a grounding which would be permanent, and after several years ho would gradually evolve into a useful soldier; it.» during his time in camp, ho is taken in hand by capable N.C.O. s and officers. It is no easy thing for <v man to becomo a capable and efficient officer. The amount of knowledge in military subjects is enormous, and every new invention and discovery of 'science modifies atid complicates tho theories of tho hour. Ho muse have knowledge of tho theory of war so as to be able to properly instruct his men in .the practise. Law, administration, history, and engineering in many branches all como into his curriculum. An officer cannot learn entirely from books, he must bo instructed by other officers who arc qualified to do so. It has been found impossible for a regular adjutant to instruct the other officers of his Territorial battalion. So there must be regular officers, or officers who have been attached to regular units in the regiment. Particularly is this so in the special jobs in a regiment —tho machine guns, the signalling, and tho transport. Thcsr officers must get their training either from the classes at Aldershot-and Eytlic or from those who > have passed these classes and are qualified to instruct. I The same applies to all branches of the ' service, the more specialised they are the , moro they need to havo their training direct from hearquarters. Officers should be temporarily exchanged between England and New Zealand; they should bo sent Home to study tho latest ideas and bring them back tor the benefit of tho other colonial officers. By degrees courses of instruction might be formed m tho big towns, where officers could complete their training independently of England. Tho equipment of the army should bo brought up to date, and should bo complete in all its sections and departments, such as the transport, commissariat, and ordnance. This could not be brought about all at once, but in tho same way that tho men's training would proteed year by year, so the pest of tho machinery necessary for the mobility and supply of the army would be constructed. New inventions would be investigated without loss of time, and the scientific progress of tho army would not be hindered by a clogging conservatism. "With the life in a now country to back it, a small fighting forco working on its own lines, taking the best it finds in every nation, could bo formed. Given an army such as this, mdy throughout and confident in its efficiency, Now Zealand could say to European or Asiatic marauders, "Hands offl"—I am, ec.,

Following the deaths of four Army officers in monoplane accidents last year, Colonel Seely forbade, pending the report of a Departmental Committee, the -use of monoplanes by Army officers. _ The committee now report that it is quite possible to construct a monoplane so that it shall have sufficient strength. • They recommend the appointment of an expert to tost engines.