MILITARY TRAINING

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3632, 30 April 1927, Page 3

MILITARY TRAINING

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OPPOSED TO RESTRICTION OF SCHEME.

At Ihc monthly meeting of the Foxton Chamber of Commerce, held on Thursday evening, a protest was received from the Feilding Chamber against the recent amendment, to the defence regulations providing for an annual camp of ten days 'as against a camp of seven days with 12 night parades throughout the year as obtaining at present. The Feilding Chamber thought that some of the military training should lie done in the employees time. Mr. Me Murray moved that the protest be endorsed and referred to the difficulty experienced by employers who had to let their employees off to go to camp for a week.

Mr. Yeo said that the training was for the defence of the country and that if anything happened it was the employer who would benefit. Mr. Pearson said he would move that the protest be not upheld. Any employer could afford to allow his employees to go into camp once a year and it was all for the good of the country. Mr. Christie, seconded Mr. McMurray’s motion.

Mr. Yeo said that under the old conditions a Territorial had to attend camp for one week and also had to attend twelve night parades during the year. These night parades were not much use and the men learnt more in one camp than they did over a period of years of night parades. Mr. Cora also favoured the extra three days in camp as against one week and night parades. Mr. McMurray said he believed in night and half-day parades. They had to get the old spirit back that existed before the war. They were better drilling of an evening than loafing around the town. Night parades would be quite successful if taken up properly. Mr. Corn: Evening parades are an absolute failure. The men prefer the camps. 1 The motion was put and lost, only Messrs McMurray and Christie voting for it.