THE CITIZEN SOLDIER.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1970, 29 January 1914, Page 4

THE CITIZEN SOLDIER.

According to G'eseral Sir lax Hamilton, who is about to visit New Zealand in the eapacuy of InspectorGeneral of His Majesty's Oversea Forces, the citizen soldier is looked upon with very different eyes at Home and abroad, Speaking to the members of a Highland Territorial battalion at Edinburgh recently, on his return from an extended worldtour, General Hamilton said that in all the Dominions and Crown Colonics he had visited up to date their citizen battalions were devotedly supported by the public Press. Abroad an inspecting officer had to summon up all his nerve to tell the troops a few home truths. In GreatBritain it seemed to be both easy and pleasant to find fault, and the man who needed to take his courage in both hands was the one who would speak a- word of encouragement or dare to give praise when due. As an example, General HaSiii.ton quoted the following extract from a leading article in the Daily Main --"Whatever may be done for the Territorial Force, it will he unfit to take the field without six months' training. It will continue to be a- mere mob of men with rifles, without discipline, marching power, or skill in marksmahship," "I do not know the standards of the writer," said General Hamilton, "and whether ho compares you with British or United States voluntary service regulars;] with Russian, Gorman, Austrian. Bulgarian, compulsory service regulars; or whether he is thinking, say. of the First New Zealand Contingent, which showed how little-affinity it bad to a mob from the first day it landed in South Africa. But 1 do know that, whatever his - standard may be, I. here respectfully - match my' experience against his and traverse every item of his indictment." When General Hamiltox comes to New Zealand he will find that enthusiastic appreciation of the Territorials exists here quite as prominently as.in the Dominions ho has already visited, but, on the other hand, no one is likely to quarrel with him for subjecting our Territorials to criticism, least of all the .members'of that popular force themselves, who would no doubt be the,, first to admit "their own shortcomings. It is, of course, quite natural that the Territorials here and those in Great Britain- shm-iM occupy a vary different place in general estimation. They may be equally descrving of public approval and support, but her.; we have a citir.ett army, and what wo have in the way of military tradition is associated largely with the Territorials. At Home the Territorials inevitably, although perhaps unjustly, suffer by comparison with > the regular Army. They are a scc : ondary growth of military power, of recent creation, and they stili have to live down the reproach of_ being new, In the speech from which we havD quoted, General Hamilton expressed opposition to the proposals of the National Service League, and used a train of reasoning. which sounds strangely in colonial ears. He holds that it would-be quite possible, to raisa a- magnificent national defence army, to which tin hearts o.' the people would go out. but considers that the creation of such a force would cause interest in the Overseas Regular Army, and in the Fleet, to dwindle. He contends- that just as no man can cerve two masters, so no nation can cerve two such principles as the compulsory and the voluntary at the same time. This does not sound at all convincing. Indeed. General Hamilton appears to have' forced several distinctly separate things into a relationship which they do not possess. The purposes of a national defence army and those of the Regular Army might overlap to some extent, but they need not conflict, and naval defence is a thing apart. Authorities of the highest standing may be cited in opposition to the view expressed by General Hamilton. Everyone Knows that Earl Roberts is the principal advocate of compulsory military training in the United Kingdom, and many other distinguished soldiers share his opinions and applaud the' objective of the National Service League, A weighty pronouncement on the subject, made by FieldMap.siiAL Sin Evelyn Wood,' is reported in n cablegram published to-.] day. In resigning the chairmanship of the City of London Territorials. he said that all the efforts of himself and his colleagues for five years had been unsuccessful, and he added that he had never concealed his opinion that the military defence of the United Kingdom could only he j secured by the universal training of adults.