THE BRITISH RECRUIT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2341, 6 November 1908, Page 5

THE BRITISH RECRUIT.

AN ALARMING REPORT.

PHYSICAL DEGENERACY.

If England were not to a large extent callously indifferent to the state of its army, as Lord Roberts has found in the of his advocacy of universal military training, it could scarcely avoid feeling some humiliation on reading the periodical recruiting reports. Nothing has been done since the South African avar to secure men of a higher type for the regular forces. It is officially admitted that “average British recruits are, on enlistment, not only the youngest, but ate in the poorest physical condition of those in any civilised army. They cannot stand work which avoidd not injure well-fed conscripts of twenty years of age.’-’ The army is being maintained by the enlistment of unemployed physical de-generates—-youths . who have to be carefully developed for at least two years before they can rank as even fairly efficient soldiers. Experienced recruiting agents estimate that ns high a proportion as 95 per cent, of the boys accepted last year were out of avork when they offered themselves for enlistment. Out _ of--59,393 inspected 16,906 avere sot asido at once, the chief causes of their rejection ' being meagre chest measurement, heart diseases and dei'angements, defective sight, and had teeth. Heart troubles are increasing among the youth of the country as a result of excessive cigarette smoking. But the army must make the best of trte material available to it. “The soldier is, as a rule,” says tho DirectorGeneral of tho Medical department, “in poor physical condition when he begins to train, lie rarely is keen to improve his physique, and he practicailv never naves up indulgence in smoking and alcohol during his course of instruction. Since 1904 some of the gymnastic exorcises have been modified, and in 1906 many of the more arduous ones were made less trying or were given up.”