NATIONAL DEFENCE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3457, 10 April 1920, Page 6

NATIONAL DEFENCE.

i’ ‘POLICY oE"*rriE NEW LEAGUE‘SliAfpED Er GENERAL RUSSELL ‘STANDS F 037 A WHITE NEW ' ’ ZEALKND. ' ' SELECTED WOMEN IN THE TRAINING CAMPS. (Continued From Yesterday.) . WELLINGTON, this day. THE LESSONS OF THE VVAR. “I order to achieve its objects the league proposes to advocate the maintenance of an‘ universal defensive training system. The league holds that military training should be universal, not only for reasons of defence for Wll-leii a x'luo’ta would possibly be suflicient; but for other reasons Again -the league urges: ‘As far as practicable, tl;e embodiment of the lessons _ o'r"’the late war in our universal defensive training system.’ , Here I wish to point out that the lessons «Of the war were not merely those connected with ‘the handling of a platoon, or the use of a machine-gun. ‘ There are other things——gz-eat moral lessons: Which’ were learned as a result of the war. Another proposal in the leagne’s platform is: ‘The provision of sulfiguns, rifles, and equipment so that the New Zealand CitizeniArmy, on mobilisation for the defence of our own shores, Will be able to take the field fully equipped, and will have suflicient spares for replacement.’ At present I do not know What we have got, but it isivery little. “One of the ‘pogies raised lbx opponents to the introduction‘ 0'1" sound defensive training in the past was that, an attemptiwas being made to intro-I 'du‘ce militarism. So far as: the mem- 1 _bers of the league are concerned, they loathe and despise any tliing“‘t2fiat breathes «of that spirit, and they will‘ have nothing to do with it. Another objection has been that compul- I sory training is contrary to democracy, and has a tendency to produce '” a gulf between officers and men. Any other than a demorcratic - defence force in New Zealand is unthinkable, but a special clause to ensure this is included in the objects of the league. This clause reads: ‘The‘ acceptance of the princfple that in futureno one, I except in the case of the publi‘c‘in-‘ terest, can become a commissioned oflicer of the New Zealand Citizen Defence Forces unless he has served threeiyearsin the ranks.’ I do not say that a perfect demgocratic army cannot be obtained Without, that clause, but, with it, the accomplishment of the ideal should The perfpprtlyf safe , ..'.n.l ' ’ 'MC--RAL ‘AND HEALTH ASEECHJS. “There are four other proposals in the constitution of the lea.glm‘_-gwhich call for special consideration. Thesei are: ‘ ’ The devotion of -special: atlielntion to the moral training 0f,..--théwlfouth of this country, and theimedmatsion ' in the "ideals of good citizenship: I ‘The strict suppressioll.o.ficallizblad language in camps ,mal:ing..i'isfilse punishable as in civilian life. The league insists. that this ';eMil‘:-allust 4 be put down with a strong) band, and demands that the Defence: De‘partment shall take praotiqal steps to secure its eradication.:.- nzwa “The taking -of every=,possible[ precaution to preserve ther,h.cal.§h of‘ the ‘boys While undergoing ‘training . in camp or elsewhere,;with',,en_deaV-U ' ours ‘to improvethc same, _,;under proper medical Super-Visio,n;,qlso educating trainees upon the ol,‘>§,C_l'E3nCe of health principles cltiringmblpthi i civilian and military life. _ - .‘_<_»'l‘ “The employment Of -, S,€,3l,Q,€g§€d women to assist iil"'(:T)olgj,l;,g,l,,££'LDnl,l;lll- - work, and in all,thesip§t_i}utes I in camps, where‘ they ,carih,bem.p‘ro- - fitably and suit-ably cmplgycd:_-H, “These clauses are \'el3g;,iml),9é'£§nt on the moral and pliysigaligqvelopnient | aspects of military tl'ailling;l(§-pgéiéding them I desire to state tlla_tlgll_,v9ss(pfind‘ system of det'ence xx'ill_”~)cpst7lpé)§e§', thill it means a sa<:r-i.fice_~_t"_(> Lt,‘-V'C.l§',f,nC: but in considering this itr}.i:;'),:l(,)‘_lg{lTy£';”,fi”,4liz' to look at the others. the ledger..cust up the gains. ilnd_s_ee what ‘there is to credit. Thei"e and foremost the insurance‘ :t}mt,'i”\§’-‘E Shall be able to keep the count‘i-gr’--Fw;h'ite, jirotect it from inwiasion, and ‘perform our part in the responsibilitgr which .wc owe to the Empire, so'fthat the -standard of living in this cou-ntviiyfixivill‘ not be lowered or altered':uiiles's:"for . the better. The second is’ aiiotherl valuable asset_——the. moral asset. I"_h_ja.ve 3 al_;-Quay made a reference "' to the lessons‘ of the tgzir. It produced. 'or rafl:-er Adore-lopeg, The spiritnf self-sacrifice, the _ll':ibit. of , obedience. ‘respect for other pcople’s wishes, and a _better understanding of other people ’s needs.,All these came Well to the front. In the war men 'A were found’ leiarniiig, to help each ' -other,-_ realising _tll‘flf"‘tl:l,(‘_s: weir ‘part of 2. whole, .a_nd_ that they thenISCIVCS i-did "not matter very ;rnuch., so -long as ' ‘success was attained by'th.c;'vvholc do-A ‘illg‘,lZ(‘.{lll:l work. That spirit ‘is Wanted

‘ abroad in this country to-day, and 0110 !11lC€1.11S of promoting it is___by getting 3 our young manhood together-hand working together, each subordinsting hilnself to a concerted plan. I have n 0 doubt that Germany,'beaten is She was, gained innnonsely in her-indus-trial life by her system of military training, insofar that by it her people learned to work together. U BAD LANGUAGE TAKEN INTO. THE CAMPS. -~ “Many people must have been dismayed when thc..Council of Churches declared in no uncertain terms against our system. of mi'li't:u-y training on the ground that the youth of the country would bo contaniinated by under; going training in our camps. I cannot ‘ help thinking thafrthis was a refleo-I tion 011 their own work in The past, because they could not produce (1. boy

who would last out eight or ten days. lin camp without going to pieces. ] think it is only :1 reasonable infel'« i. once. VVOMEN AND “THE SCIENCE OF POWER. " ’ “I do not vknow how many people in New Zealand have read a book by Benjanlin Kidd, ‘The Science of Power.’ Those 'who‘H'své will realise that I am about to refer to the need for the wliolc-hearted support of the women of New Zcalzmd in this movemenf. Benjamin Kidd ascribes the power of the future Very Izfigely to

Iwomcn. Men are; to do things, but women are to tell them what to do, to encourage them towards objects of virtue, and point the way. The !men are ‘to follow; I hope they will. This league looks just as much to the women of New Zealand as to the men of New Zealand for sllpport., and has accordingly made special pro\'isionfol' the inclusion of women in the government of its affoirs. Women cair sec to it that the moral aspect of camp‘ life is att.elldcd ‘to. They, only, can! bring up boys who will withstand; ltcrnptation. .’l‘he Churches must help: ‘and the fathers do‘ their Sl1{11‘C; but‘ it. is the women of New Zcaland who lhave ‘the main part in tlle characterlmoulding of the future manhood of ’New Zcaland. It is easy to understand that any mother, who heard? the stories, some of which, no doubt, were true, of the foul language used’ in the camps, would look with diffi-I deuce, dislike, and distrust on the! idea of her son being mixed up in it.‘ We could not expect such. a mother to support the league unless the league‘ sees to it that that kind of thing is‘ put an end to, and its place taken by} the influence of educatioll that will; lead to moral elevation as well as‘ physical irnpx-ovmnerrt. As ithe best‘, guarantee tlzut this will be done the! league urges’ the omplo_vn'l'ent of spe-

eially-selected women in :our training fcamps. . b ‘.‘At the lsunie time it is esseritliai that the public should recognise the truth in the nlatte'r. The real feet was that the language was taken into the cmnps; the eznnps ‘were not responsible for it, but the lack of nlora'l training the lads received before they went there. I believe that is the truth. The league will make its ideal that every mother, when her son comes back from camp, should say, “When is the next one going to be lreld?” because she was so plcrased with the results. THE FINAL AIM, “In conclusion. I wish to refer to

lthe fact that one or two of our :selloollnastersi appear :to look askance lat military h':li.ning. I am glad to be _able to say, -on’ the ;other hand, that _.:l.ll'eady~welnLve~a number of our proniingiit; educationalists with us in; _”the league, a.nd I’ expect. many more‘ will follow. N 0 better support ‘was obtained from any class of men at the] "front than ‘from the schoolmasters. Perhaps some of them who have been indulging in criticism in the past, look upon the methods of education ‘in. camp with :1 cel't':lin spirit of riv--alry and distrust. Yet when they lfhink the matter out vthey will prob;ably re:lli.src tifixf :11] that is airued at *’in the camps is not exactly to put the capping on the work that in done in the schools, but rather that in the camps the nest is done to nourish and foster the seenllings of good sitizenship which it has been the school-

Inzls’rer’s privilege toplauf. When‘ they look at it in that light, I think! fl:-esc» critics will come along and help. There are people who talk‘ about liunimiify, about one gmiid brotlierliood. and about dieing‘ away with war. I believe in all those ideals myself, but I think the first thing to do is to be true to ourselves, then to the Empire; and then only probably, will it. be possible for us to be true to humanity, that larger humanity to which we all belong, wliatever our c.ree(l,._our colour, or our civilisation.”