OUR CITIZEN ARMY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 26 September 1907, Page 2

OUR CITIZEN ARMY.

IMPORTANT COUNCIL OF DEFENCE ORDER. MILITIA LISTS BEING PREPARED. FIRST LINE TO BE SUMMONED FOR TRAINING. Per Press Association. Wellington, lust night. The New Zealand Council of Defence lias issued instructions which are now on the way to all defence districts, to prepare the militia rolls of the colony as provided for by the Defence Act of 1880'. There is no proper machinery at present existing for taking the names, and compilation, but it is the case that though the process will be slow the method will be eilicient, and the probability is that within six months from the present time the rolls will be compiled, and Class 1 of the militia, consisting of unmarried men between the ages of 17 and 30 called out for systematic training. Special districts are to be declared for the purposes of the division for the colony as provided by the Act.

Wellington, Later. The New Zealand Council of Defence lias decided that it is imperative to call upon the militia to take more active part in tlie defence of the colony than they have hitherto borne. The I lists are to be compiled forthwith, and instructions to that end having been despatched to each defence district of the colony during tile past few days. There never has been adequate machinery for compiling these lists, and it will be necessary to depend upon what local facilities thero may be. Consequently the work of compilation will bo slow, but it will be persevered in until completion, and then the militia will be called upon to perfect themselves in all requisite military duties. Tfhe Council of Defence desires not to interfere with commerce or trade in any way, but to train up a defence force that will be competent to defend the country should the need arise. The militia will bo divided into three classes, namely—Unmarried men between 17 and 30; Class 2—Married men between 17 and 30, and unmarried between 30 and 40; Class 3—Married men Between 30 and 40, and unmarried men (between 40 and 45. The Governor, for the purposes of the militia, may from time to lime, by any general order, divide «ny district constituted under the Defence Act, into n regiment, battalion or independent company corps, or other divisions, and may designate such divisions by such name and number as lie may think fit. Th c work preparatory to the fixing of boundaries for such districts as those above specified, is now going on, and when the work is completed, the districts will be dcclarr n ?. hat Wi " be a mttor of some little time, and anyone who feels anxipus at the prospect may take comfort m the thought that six months must elapse before active training 0 f the militia eaa be entered Upon, alter that date it will.be necessary for any unmarried man below the age of 30 who wishes to escape drill duties, to take unto "himself a wife. Thus h e will escape, for naturally if j s c l aSB I of the militia that is to be called tipoh to bear the initial brunt of training and service. , • ■

r _ STATUTORY EXEMPTIONS. The statutory exemptions from training and actual service ill the militia are as uuden-The Judges of the Supreme Court the members of the Executive Council, the members of the General Assemb y, the ollicers of the General Assembly, Secretaries and Under-Secre-taries of the General Government, the Judges of the Native Land Court, the Public Trustee, the resident magistrates telegraph clerks, postmasters, mail earners and ferrymen, all ollicers, clerks, or other persons acting in the management or collection of Customs revenue persons employed on railways open for traihe, the clergy and ministers of ail religious denominations who shall for the time being be the oiliciatiug ministers within the meaning of the Marria»e Act, 1880, the professors in any college' or university, all sheriffs and constables, all wardens and keepers and guards of every public prison and lunatic asylum and the attendants on the sick ill every pubflc hospital, teachers of schools actually engaged in teaching, seafaring uien (other than watermen and boatmen) actually engaged in their calling, all volunteers enrolled under any Volunteer Act for the time being in force within the colony, all persons afllictcd with lunacy, deafness, blindness, or with any other disease or infirmity that may render them unlit for scrvmc, such disease or inlirmity being duly certified by a medical man appointed by the Government and paid by the Government for that purpose; each suclf certificate shall state the nature of the disease or inlirmity under which the claimant is labouring and distinguish whether it incapacitates him for actual service and training and exercise or for actual service only.

An estimate prepared by the Regis-trar-General's Department gives the approximate number of men in New Zealand between the ages of seventeen and thirty years as 125,1)11. It is the unmarried portion of the service who will constitute the first class of the militia and be first called upon to serve. They number 104,371.

CITIZENS' OBLIGATIONS TO THE | STATE. Pel Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. Lieutenant - Colonel Hawkins, ollicer commanding the Canterbury volunteer district, when seen by a Press reporter to-day on flic question of the calliiwout of the first line of militia for training purposes, said that the projected training practically amounted to a legitimate demand by the State that citizens should recognise their obligations, to their country. He surmised that the training would extend over a period which would assure a satisfactory degree of eflicicncy being allowed, and would probably be curried out early in the mornings and in the evenings, so as not to interfere with the civilian occupation of those concerned.

Auckland, Wednesday. Inquiry made here with reference to a report from Christchurch that the Defence authorities are compiling a militia list in view of calling out the first line ot men, between IS and 2;3 years, for training shows that no such list is being compiled at Auckland, but at the direction of the Council of Defence a return is being compiled of men who served in South African corps, or who have seen other foreign service and are now serving in the New Zealand forces.