The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1914. MILITARY SERVICE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 56, 27 June 1914, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1914. MILITARY SERVICE.

A very important aspect of General Sir lan Hamilton's report to those who dwell in the more scattered country districts is that dealing with cadet training in the country. While the cadets came in for a full share of the Inspector-General's admiration, ho found it necessary to point out the advantages necessarily enjoyed by the town boys over those in the rural districts, and gives it as his deliberate opinion that in scattered country districts, the existing system of cadet training will prove itself incapable of replacing satisfactorily the concentrated period of adult recruit training given in other armies. Going fully into the question, General Hamilton notes the difficulties that stand in the way of remedying a disability affecting possibly twenty-five per cent of the force, and concludes that if home training cannot be improved in such districts , it must be abolished. The possible solution of the problem, General Hamilton believes, would be if in country districts tho cadets wore collected for fourteen days at certain centres with a sufficiency of permanent instructors present to make sure that they were thoroughly wheeled into line. From personal inspection he is able to testify that such a system hag been attended with the happiest results in Natal, a State in which compulsory cadet training has been in existenco for more than twenty years, and now the Government of South Africa proposes to adopt cadet camps throughout tho States of the Union. General Hamilton expresses the opinion that the only other alternative is to follow the Swiss system for lads in outlying districts, and in their case, dispense altogether with cadet training. The period of concentrated recruit training at fixed centres would in this event, he says, be not less than eight weeks. The men concerned would become liable on attaining their eighteenth year. This alternative has the double disadvantage that the men under training would have lo be paid, and that the indirect loss to tht country of having so many

adults removed from the labour market would be seriously felt 3 in other words, the change of system would be costly. But a more serious drawback, in his opinion, than even the inestimable advantages of cadet training would then be lost to the very class of lads who most of all require them. Such an alternative as this should only be resorted to after every other expedient has been given a failtrial and lias failed. Passing on, however, he states emphatically fchatj the arguments used in favor of differ-! entiating between the cadets in town and country will be found to apply even mora strongly in the case of the trained soldier, and unless the existing; system of home training is perfectly sound, it would be preferable to substitute for home training a concentrated squadron or company training of at lease a week's duration, to be held at some convenient place and time prior to the assembly of the battalion or regiment for its statutory annual training. The matters touched on by General Hamilton will certainty have to be dealt with, and most probably on the lines he suggests.