Compulsory Military Training.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 May 1913, Page 2

Compulsory Military Training.

DEBATE AT LEVJX

Levin Debating Society opened its 1913 session last night.

The President, in an inaugural speech, remarked that the season was being opened under favourable auspices, and judging from the ex-

celleut attendance they had thai evening there was prospect of r highly successful .session. The executive had decided to drop the wore "literary" from the title of the society ; the experience of last session had fill own that debates were much moro popular than literature in

Levin. The debate for last evening was "Is Compulsory Training the Solution of the Defence Question?"" The leader in the affirmative was the Rev. A. C. Kanderson. and the negative was taken by Mr A. J. Harding, in the absence from Eevin of Mi Robortson, M.P., who had been sot

iiown as leader. Mr Ivauderson, in the course ol his defence of the New Zeaknu .system, combatted the contontioi that it was one of conscription; In took it that conscription compelle< .•nun to fight not only in defence o; their country, but to take part ii iggressive wars also. Tlio New Zea

land Act unforced no aggression. Compulsory military training helped to build up a good physical race; it inculcated patriotism ; it taught men to submit to authority and to aci. in combination. And the defence force that New Zealand was setting ii]) lessened the likelihood of foreign invasion. Mr Harding's opening arguments were directed against the 'Sew Zealand Defence Act rather than against the system of compulsory military training. He took strong objection to the clause in the Act permitting of tile obligation to serve beimr waived at the age of 22 years in some instances, although the .standard age is 30. He went on to scout the probability of New Zealand's comparatively few available thousands being able to hold back the hordes of China. Also, he asked, why wore only the. boys to be trained, and the men left to look on ? H the money now being spent had been j spent on the old system (volunteering) a much better defence would have been achieved. Tie thought the patriotism spoken of by Mr Randerson was the real sort; the speaker's patriotism was cosmopolitan, and he loved the world, not merely his own little island. Mr H. B. France defended compulsion because while youth was the proper season for training the time of youth was that in which there was very little volunteering; whether for school or for military training. Mr Cork supported the present system. No doubt the machinery had some defects, hut those would be remedied.

>fr FroyTierp; took the points that although the expense of the first vear of the compulsory system was heavy the eliief factors to make it so u-ere those of equipment and the provision of instructional officers from Great Britain. The younger a hoy was got the hotter he could ho trained and the discipline secured. Mr Frasor contended that tho trend of the present system was to raise the shrino of Mars nhove that of Christianity. He said that anyone who read Tiistory would know that ahvays the governing class used tho military ,nnd the rxiliee against tho working class. Patriotism was a "R.IK," ho alleged, and he gave in proof tho floor War "undertaken to allow capitalists 'to work the South African mines cheaply with Chinese lahour!" Ho concluded hy asserting I that lahour the world over should comhine and do away with warfare; there should he no perfecting of the machine of murder. Mr Brown supported the compulsory system, and assured tho previous speaker that his quotations from Longfellow about doing away "with arsenals and forts" would he a poor defence against an army of Chinese. . The leaders replied, and a vote was taken on tho question of which side had presented its caeo most forcibly and clearly (not on the merits). The votes in tho affirmative predominated.