The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette Published Daily. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1896. COMPULSORY DRILL.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 102, 27 October 1896, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette Published Daily. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1896. COMPULSORY DRILL.

Our contemporary, the Napier Telegraph, suggests there is one thing which Germany does that England and her colonies might copy with advantage, even if the copying were done in a modified form only. That is the compulsory drilling of her young ir.en There can hardly be & doubt that tbe short term of military service imposed upon all able-bodied German males does the race good. The training which the young men get sets them up, makes them straight and alert, and prevents them acquiring that miserable slouch which is the characteristic of so many town dwellers in British countries. Germany, we firmly believe, is benefited industrially by the course of drill imposed upon her young men. It tends to healthy physique, to habits of discipline and steadiness of purpose. This, in the long run, must re-act favorably upon the German people, and thus, combined with their excellent system of education, assist them in their commercial and manu facturing competition with any other coantry. Compulsory drill in New Zealand would not be a disadvantage. In this connection it has already been observed how much better are those young men in the colonies who have served for some years as volunteers, not only in appearance but in health. It would meet the case if the Defence Minister were to issue an order calling oat those who are liable to serve as first-class militiamen. Tbia would not entail any extra expense on the colony, because tbe present staff would be able to undertake the work of instruc tion in conjunction with that entailed by tbe existing force, and the militia officers would soon learn gaifrcient of tbeir duties to pass the examinations made compulsory by the Regulation*.