The Daily Dews MONDAY, MARCH 28. COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 54, 29 March 1909, Page 2

The Daily Dews MONDAY, MARCH 28. COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING.

New Zealand was quick to realise the seriousness 'of tli u naval situation at Home anil to give earnest of her duly in regard to the maintenance or Britain's uuassailability on the water, but our leading public men, from the Premier downwards, have had nothing to say about putting our own house in order, by looking to our own defences. At the present time Parliament votes a substantial sum of money annually for the maintenance of our defences, and what do we get in return? The fortifications at Ui e chief ports are admittedly obsolete and ineffective; we have no held guns worth speaking about, and only barely enough rifles to arm the present volunteer force; the volunteers comprise only a handful of the population and would be practically useless in time Of trouble; the militia is—well a militia that knows very little about the handling of a rille, much less about rudimentary drill tactics. There is no doubt that we Occupy quite, a false position in regard to our defences. We move about in almost what Carlylc called "pot-bel-lied equanimity," pursuing the even tenor or our way, money-making, plea-sure-seeking, drinking and gambling maybe, relying upon the arm of llrilain should trouble ari»e. The time may come—there is not wanting evidence that it may he not many years oil'— when Britain will not be abl c to mainlain the lead on the sea that she has enjoved since the days of Trafalgar, and extend that strong arm that in the past has provided our only security from attack. It is' this possibility we must provide against; we must be in a position to make some defence against any stray hostile warship that might elude the British Navy in case of war.

The Defence League of New Zealand has done a patriotic service during the time it has been in in drawing attention to our present state of niipreparcdness and our inability to protect our homes in time of stress. It has tried to awakni interest in this vital matter, and has met witli a certain measure of success among the thinking men of the community. It lias contended for and contends for a system of ooiupulsory training lashioned .somewhat on the Swiss model and the- proposed Australian model. Nearly every newspaper in the Dominion has seconded the ell'orts of the U'ague, but the Government has not up to now been moved to take any action. It .seems quite satisfied with the present almost useless and expensive system, relying upon the patriotism of the people to rally to the volunteer forces at the iirst approach of danger, but evidently unmindful of the fact that men, no matter how patriotic and brave, would, without some sort of previous training, be practically useless against trained troop§. The volunteer force is good in its way; its members are imbued with- the proper .spirit of citizenship, hut the country has no right lo expect them to make sacrifices in pursuance of a duty that should be borne not by them alone hut by the whole of those in the Dominion able to shoulder a gun. What is for the benefit of all must be home by all. You cannot, cither in logic or justice, declare that a duty ib necessary and obligatory, and in the next breath say that no one need take it up who docß not want to do so. The enemies of national service, oi which Sir Joseph Ward seems to be one, say it is against the liberty of the subject for it to be made compulsory for a man to undergo certain military training. But it is forgotten that when lh e call comes for him to light fo r his country he would but prove how tragic arc the consc- : quonccs of the liberty not lo be prepared. He would fall a victim lo a piece of sophistry and die the martyr of the

& paradox. I kind of military preparation suitI; able to New Zealand conditions, as we Z have before suggested, is that it should £ be made compulsory for boys leaving £ school, without distinction of class, to £ undergo continuous training for a cor{s tain period in .some kind of military |t iorcc, such training to be followed unit nually by a musketry course and a fortIt night's training hi caiip. liy this means It we would have the youth of the Domius ion trained to arms and in the'course of £ time possess a military force in these I* island* which would give us a maximum £ of security on land. A nation fighting * Britain would think twice of attacking | Xew Zealand if it knew th 0 whole of | the manhood of the population wen: J trained to arms. The improvement i which would be produced in the physical well-being of our .population would also j. be a distinct advantage. Some two or j thrc ( , years ago a London newspaper, 5 tin; Spectator, trained a number of f yuulli-, taken from different walks of i life, for a period 01 four months. The i editor of the paper had a theory, and i he wished to put it into practice, that r four months' training under good sani-

i tary conditions, given at the critii-ul ' age of scvvntoen, would work wonders ; cm tin- population, ami that it would [ help also to solve the problem of boy [ labor, l>,v giving n definite break in a [ lad's working life. In a recent issue of [ til,, paper in question, we lind' this signi- [ ficaut statement: "Our experience of the

[ Spectator company convinces us , . . : that after the training the boy ceased' : to be a boy, and the moral, physical, and : intellectual bracing which is the result : of four months' sound military training greatly improved his chances in the liallle of life. When the company assembled there were only some three lads who desired to join the regulars—i.e.. three per cent. At the end or the training some thirty-two or thirty-three per cent, wished to enter the regular forces, of the Crown. Instead of being 'fed up' with soldiering by six months' very hard work, lh 0 thirty-three lads in (|iu'«stioii realised that they had found their vocation." ]i the benelieial results can be obtained from four months' training, what would be the results of a systematic training of our youths over a given number of visits* The results, of course, could iiardly be other than highly benelieial. We hope, advantage will be taken of | the present opportunity by the National Defence League to pre.* wdiat it exists , for on the country and our legislators. , who, wc hope, will give the matter the , consideration its importance demands , during the coming session oi Parlia- ( meat. t