MR McNAB’S CRUSADE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9468, 10 June 1909, Page 5

MR McNAB’S CRUSADE.

COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING. ADDRESS AT MARTON. PATRIOTIC RESOLUTION CARRIED. AN AMENDMENT DEFEATED. The Jorge audience assembled at Mar con Opera House last evening to hear Mr R. McNab speak on the question of Compulsory Military Training may be taken as a fair indication of the public opinion throughout New Zealand bn defence matters. The tone of the meeting made it clear that the public was strongly impressed with the importance of the subject. Mr McNab’s views, lucidly and forcibly expressed seemed heartily approved by a great majority of those present, and other speakers in support of the absolute necessity of compulsory training had almost the entire sympathy of the audience, who were apparently thoroughly convinced of the soundness of the arguments put forward.

An amendment moved to the reso lufeion was defeated by about 3 to 1, and the motion to the effect .that no system of defence is satisfactory that is not based on universal military training, was enthusiastically carried.

A large number refrained from voting. The Mayor (Mr R E. Beckett) presided, and read apologies from Mr Edward Newman, M.P., Messrs K. O. Bruce, J. W. Marshall and several other prominent residents, all expressing sympathy with the movement. Among those on the stage were Dr. Skerman, Yen. Archdeacon Towgood, Revs. Gordon and Griffin, Major Saunders, and Messrs Cook, Purnell, H. Richardson, J. J. McDonald, Bush. F. Brice, and J. Sicely. The audience was of a representative nature and included a large number of ladies. Mr Bejkett said it afforded him great pleasure to take the chair. The subject of defence was a matter of great interest to all whether they believed in voluntary or compulsory service.

Mr MoNab received a' veiy warm welcome on rising to speak. He prefaced his remarks by thanking the people of Marton for their kind invitation. Ou the subject of the lecture Mr MoNab said he was speaking as a member of the volunteer force, who had been in the ranks and was now an officer. He had been associated with many branches of the force. He had been in ihe infantry, with a field battery of artillery, and had been in command of mounted squadrons. He also spoke as one who administered the Defence Department tor two years. He therefore knew what he was going to talk about. The defence of the Empire depended wholly on voluntary service and in this Britain differed from every other European nation. The volunteering system had failed everywhere that it had been tried. He went on to criticise the system, which if successful anywhere should be so in the Old Country, where they had the population, money and enthusiasm. He would take first the opinion of a man who stood in the first rank as a general, and who had the unique distinction of having always during his 50 years of service commanded forces raised on the voluntary system—Lord Roberts, . He had led an army of volunteers to victory, and it might he thought that he would have been biased in favour of the voluntary system, yet he condemned it. Lord«. Roberts considered that under the voluntary system no men could do more than the British volunteers were doing, and it was unreasonable to expect them to reach a standard of efficiency necessary successfully to combat the trained troops of other ooumntries. Lord Roberts therefore favoured universal military training and though he had spoken in the highest terms of the men who sacrificed so much, thought the voluntary system could not be brought to a success under present day conditions. Australia had decided to stand by a system of universal military training. If it was necessary in Australia surely there was more necessity for a similar system in New Zealand. Dealing with the movement in Australia, Mr McNab confessed that when there he went to see Burns and Johnson training for their fight and he had learnt a lesson. It had been said that the universal training movement was inimical to the interests of labour and was a capitalistic movement. In Australia there was a Labour Government and the attitude of that Government was such that Australia had the distinction of being the first British people to bring before Parliament a proposal for uni versal military training. Mr Watson the first Labour Premier, Mr Fisher the late Labour Premier, had advocated a scheme of universal training, which the present Premier, Mr Deakin, had originated. Mr Watson, the first Labour Premier, had at a conference of Labour representatives strongly supported a similar scheme and maintained that the proposal was the antithesis of militarism. Mr Watson bad pointed ont J|that Queloh, the well known Socialist, was strongly in favonr of a citizen army. One of the planks put into their platform by the Labour Conference was universal training and an Australian navy. That was the Labour platform. Yet they had in New Zealand a section of the Labour Party opposing the system. They were determined to preserve their country for the descendants of European races. In New Zealand there were some people who thought that ‘the keeping ont of undesirrable races could he accomplished by legislation. But what would be the good of Acts of Pcrliament if they had not military force behind them? Mr Hogan, M.P., told them at Wanganui how much Krupp steel one of the great Dreadnought projectiles could go through at 8000 yards, hut if that was so, he asked how many feet of New Zealand statutes it could go through at point blank range. THE NEW ZEALAND FORCE. Coming to figures Mr MoNab said that last year there were 13,049 volunteers who had received capitation. This number did not include cadet corps and rifle clubs, yet when Colonel Davies went from one end of the Dominion to the other, he could only find 7100 on parade. At the last Easter Encampment the nearest approach they had to service conditions with four days in the field only 5900 men turned out; in filet, only 45 per ooufi. of those for whom capitation was being paid could be , mustered. Last year the sum cf £196,000 was spent ou defence, some

of this expenditure going to cadet corps, rifle clubs and permanent artillery. The average service of a volnnteer-was two years, and every two years 6000 men attained the efficiency (standard at a four days Easter encampment, and retired to private life. Thus every year 3000 men cost to train £196,000, or £65 per man. Circumstances had now altered considerably. Improved weapons and altered military conditions necessitated more work in the field than was the case previously. In the early days when all the necessary training could be gone through in a drill hall, the men suffered no inconvenience and the volunteering movement thrived. These men were then well qualified for service. Now a military front covered a wide expanse of country and instructions by word of mouth were out of the question. Training could not now be done in the time limited to holidays. The tilings a volunteer had now to know were so many that, though the volunteer of to-day knew much more than his predecessor, he was, relatively to what was required to he known, less efficient. Thin, however, was not £tlie fault of the volunteers who could not give the time requited to become competent soldiers. DETERIORATION OF PHYSIQUE.

Mr McNab pointed out that the physique of an army should be at least as high as the average physique of the nation, but that this was never the case with an army raised by voluntary enlistment. In Britain the standard for admission to the army had been constantly lowered and the height, chest measurement and weight of the recruits at 19 years of age were far lower than that of the average youth of the same age. The result of sending this kind of material on active service was a great wastage from disease. In the Franoo-Prussian war the waste owing to disease the total deaths; iu the RussoJapanese war it was 35 per cent., while in the South African war it was 62 per cent. Yet the winter campaigns in Franca and Manchuria were far more likely to prodone mortality -that the conditions that prevailed in Sooth Africa. The armies created by universal service were far more efficient than those of Britain. * COST OFiiTHE SYSTEM. The defence of the country should not be left to any particular portion of the community, but should be for everyone, from the Governor’s son to the son of the uumblest man in New Zealand. He assured the meeting that a three years’ compulsory system would cost the country no more than the present volunteer system is costing. The scheme for compulsory training would put all volunteers and all employers oa th e same basis. If this basis was 30 days training in one year the expense would be nothing like £196,000, and it would be done for that for two years, and for a little more for three years, and for this they would get fully 30,000 men. The* price of not doing it was the loss of national existence. (Loud applause). Dr. Skerman moved the following motion That in the opinion of this meeting the defence of the country can be adequately carried out only by some system of universal training. ” In speaking to the potion Dr. Skerman referred to the unsettled state of Europe at present and stated that there was every reason for viewing the situation with concern, and that under the circumstances it became necessary to have a' more effective system of defence than any mere volunteer system could provide. He referred to the hopelessness of carrying oat a system of guerilla warfare against trained forces, and gave some from his experience in the South African War to illustrate the terrible sufferings inflicted on the inhabitants of a country where guerilla warfare was going on. He also pointed ont that out of the six thousand volunteers who went into camp in New Zealand and were supposed to be ready for aofciv e service at least one-third would have to be thrown out as medically unfit, as c week’s campaign, would render them quite useless. The proposal to introduce a medical examination of recruits for the volunteer force in the Dominion had been dropped as the officers found that they could not keep the ranks full if this condition was imposed, Mr J. J. McDonald seconded the motion, and said that Mr McNab’s speech would make them all think seriously on the subject 'of defence. The question of sparing 80 days for drill appeared to be the main difficulty, bat no doubt this would he got over by Government as their own employees would be required for service. Mr Lyon moved as an amendment:—“That it is undemocratic and unjust to bring into force compulsory military training without first submitting the proposal to the popular vote by referendum or as an issne at the general e’eotion.” This amendment was seconded by Mr James Grove. _ On proceeding to speak to the amendment, Mr Lyon was submitted to considerabl3 interruption, but managed by an admixture of boisteronsness, sarcasm and good hnmonr, to obtain a fair hearing. In a vigorous speech he argued iu favour of submission of the proposal to the popular vote. He asserted that the resolution submitted in favour of the scheme was a “stock” one and emanated from paid Defence League agents and that the supporters of the scheme were not bold enough to advocate compelling any voters to serve. He further argued that Lord Roberta’ remarks were not applicable to New Zealand, whose security lay in its sea-girt coast. He gave Mr McNab every credit for sincerity and honesty of conviction, and stated that it was the principle and not the man that he was opposed to. He caused considerable merrimsnt by stating that Mr McNab was entitled for one of his former Parliamentary statements at variance with his present attitude to a gold watch as big as a frying pan. The motion was then put to the meeting and carried by a large number of votes. The Yen. Archdeacon Towgood proposed a vote of thanks to Mr MoNab for his address in a terse and earnest speech. The motion was carried by acclamation and the usual compliment to the chair closed a very successful meeting.