YOUNG NEW ZEALAND.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 366, 3 June 1911, Page 5

YOUNG NEW ZEALAND.

UNFIT FOR THE NAVY

MANY APPLICANTS REJECTED

Wellington, Last Night,

The commander of 11.M.5. Pioneer has come to the conclusion that the physique of young New Zealanders is not of much account, but he bases his judgment upon the examination of recruits offering for service in the British Navy, which would not be a fair criterion. The ship's surgeon, through whose hands recruits must pass, states that of the 145 recruits examined on the Pioneer in 1910, -1(1 were medically lit, and 105 medically unfit. Details showed that o0 were rejected for not, being of sufficient chest measurement, 2(> on account of their bad teeth, nine for having scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine), and the rest for various different defects. For PJII so far 41 men had been medically examined and about 15 had been passed I .' -'The. causes of the rejections were approximately the same, anil in a similar ratio to those for the previous year. The surgeon attributed the "back twist" to the habit many young fellows have of standing about with their hands in their pockets. Fruther, he believed that some case 3 of csoliosos were brought about through many young fellows having had. when boys, to carry heavy milkcans or pails of milk in one hand. This had a tendency to pull one shoulder down more than the other. He had had an opportunity of noticing this, as many of the navy were recruited from country districts.

Regarding those New Zealanders who did pass the test, however, it is stated that the Admiral had nothing but praise. Their physique was splendid; indeed, they more than favourably compared with Australian recruits. Only a few months ago, on the occasion of his last inspection, the Admiral had remarked in conversation that the New Zealand seamen on board the warships were much better physically than those of Australia. Captain Stopford and the surgeon made it clear that they were by no means pointing to the New Zoalander as a physical degenerate, for such he was certainly not; they bad only discussed the wide prevalence of two defects, bad teeth and twisted backs. Apart from that the physique of the young New Zealander was very good. Captain Stopford said, further, that naval reserve men recruited from our shores were, in his opinion, a line body of men as a whole. The standard fur this class of service was much lower than that for recruits proper. AN AUCKLAND MEDICAL OPINION.

An Auckland medical man svho, is a member of the Medical Corps, waited upon by a "Star" representative, said Captain Stopford 'a remarks were not to be taken seriously as far as the general physique of young New Zealanders waa concerned. The doctor in question went on to say that he had recently put through hundreds of territorials, and the percentage of rejects was exceptionally small. Almost invariably the young men coming up for investigation were of excellent physique. Compared with recruits from the South of England, of which he had had personal experience, he could say that New Zealanders were immeasurably superior. Under the old volunteering system the class of men offering was not so good, but the hundreds of territorials whom he had recently examined were, generally speaking, really first-class men. They represented the average standard of young New Zealanders, so far as physique was concerned, and there was not the slightest reason, in his opinion, for any concern on the question as it applied to the manhood of the Dominion. The ordinary number of cases of impaired hearts and of defective eyesight were encountered, but the average was, if anything, below what might be expected in any country. The only explanation of Captain Stopford's statement was that there was an inferior c!a3S of men offering as naval recruits, and they were not at all representative of the average standard obtaining in I New Zealand.