VOLUNTEER SERVICE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9412, 5 April 1909, Page 5

VOLUNTEER SERVICE.

SECOND EDITION.

Press Association. Dunedin. April 5. Interviewed by a Star reporter reearding Sir J. Ward’s speech, Lieut. - Colonel Myers, a Volunteer officer cf lengthy experience, said Government had not given suffioipEt encourage--meut to shooting which was the first consideration in an effective scheme of defence. The greatest encouragement that oonld bo given would be to have teams from,a distance shooting against one i another. Better provision should be made for youths after they leave school cadets corps, and before they wisre able? to join adult corps. If the Prime Minister would look after the lads at that intervening age, he would find such abundance of material as to do away with all necessity for ccmpulsory service. He also thought that everv qualified Volunteer should have the right to travel free for a fortnight over all railways and the ranks would be filled in a mouth. The Hon. J. B. Galium who served 11 years in the Volunteer Force, said every youth should be obliged between the age of 18 and 25 to" serve three or four years in ■ a Volunteer corps. Were such proposal carried our youth woiftd acquire _a knowledge of rifle shooting, skirmishing attack formation, and a hundred details which would be of infinite pse in active service. He said if Sir J. Ward was going to establish a system of nniversal training without (making it compulsory he was curious to see how he proposed to set about it.