COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 115, 12 June 1909, Page 5

COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING.

■. "-, Ip. R. MoNAB'S MEETING. AN I&THCSIASTIC AND FAVOR- ;': ABLE AUDIENCE. Tlie Theatre Royal was crowded last evenin", when Mr. K. McNab, former.}' Minister 'of Defence, acting upon bio invitation of tlie local branch of the National Defence League, addressed a. public meeting in favor of compulsory military training. Ilia Worship the Mayor, Mr. G. Tis.di, presided. There -were also on tlie pintform Lieutenant-Colonel E. X. L. Okcy, V.D. Major W. J. Malone, Captain TI. Eyre-Kenny, Capta'ra F. G. Khnbell, Captain C. E. Hood (secretary of the local branch of the National Defence League) and Mr. G. Bishop, borough, councillor. The Garrison Band opened the proceedings with a spirited rendering of the "Death, of Nelson." Miss Rosa, Taylor and Mr. T. C. Snactomberg followed with a vocal duet, "Love and War." Then the chairman introduced Mr. McNab to the audience, thankhg hhn on behalf of the audience and the people for so valiantly espousing the cause of universal military training. In his opening remarks, Mr. McNab referred with gratification to the size of the audience, and said that as lis mission was

TO AROUSE THE PEOPLE to a sense of the necessity for universal military training, the number of his hearers was « very important point. He then went on to explain his attitude ci regard to volunteering. He was not opposed to the volunteers —he admired them—but he declared emphatically that the volunteer system wherever tried had been proved a failure. And he spoke with the knowledge of the. service joined' in tto ranks* and as an officer in various branches of New Zealand's defence iorccs, together with ita experient* ap Minister, of Defence. In emphHsiribg THE FAILURE OF THE VOLUNTEER SYSTEM

in England, he quoted jjbrd Roger's, Who he admitted was biassed, for no other single general of modem times had i«d to victory on the fteld pf battle an army of men raised on the voluntary system, and in that respect Lord Roberts was biassed in favor of volunteers. In a speech in 1906 Lord Roberts, quoting from the report of the Duke of Norfolk's Commission, formed after the Boer war, showed that the militia in. Its present condition was unfit to take trie field, and the same remarks applied to tine volunteer force—that is, the volunteer; force was not fit to take the jeM against a Obniitaealtal or regular army. At the same time, Lord Roberts expressed appreciationi of what the volunteers did in order to qualify themselves for service, and yet without considerably more training it was impossible for them to acquire the necessary efficiency. Following on what the Territorial Army system was substituted, and Lord Roberts sHated that one thing was needed to make it effective, namely, that every man who had reached taataihbod should take his part- in the TCsponsibaity of the defence of the Empire. That same thing was lacking in the volunteers.' As regards the condition of volunteering in Australia, the speaker quoted front a speech of the tote Premier, in which Mr. Fisher said the volunteer system had broken down, and the time tod arrived when Some system of compulsory training must be adopted. ; THE AUSTRALIAN PROPOSAL was to start wit3t the boy* at school ini their tenth year and train them until their twentieth year. Mr. Watson, a previous Australian Labor Premier, at a defence conference, moved that the conference approved of a system of compulsory military training for all -.insJes—a citizen' defence* force with compulsory training—«nd Australia's own 'navy. Mr. McNaib, referring to the volunteer system in New Zealand, saidi capitation was paid in the last volunteer year on 13,019 .volunteers, yet Col. Davies, who, as Inspector-Geaeial, had gone from the North Cape to the BlurT, could only find 7160. At the Eastar manoeuvres, whidh, .were the nearest approach bo active service conditions, only 5960 turned out when asked. In Jtis opinion the reason for the discrepancies in the numbers was the same as in England and Australia—that twenty years ago men were brought into .the balls to drill, and there they gained three-fourths of the training they required to enaWe .them to take the field. But with tlie improved arms and differWt field ,tactSes the whole had to be altered. Now, so much space was -e----quired that an officer must have a fie'.dgtass to be able to see his flank m-n, and unless the -men were thoroughly trained an officer could not commana tibem. NeMier could men give the re,qu£sife time, from their .work. Now today, though the officers and men knew Snnjiitely .more. aJtout tlheir work, the CONDITIONS OF WARFARE .were «uch that the minimum of efficiency .that was worth having was beyond tlheir reAti whWn formerly it was within tfoeir grasp. Every man must be prepared to get away and do the work that the force required him to do. But he must' not lose his wages while he was away, and the employer should be sltoulder to shoulder with the emjjoyee. 1 Dealing with the enormous' number. of men put into tlhe, field by nations going to war nowadays, Mr. McNab ■aid that in the Russo-Japanese war Russia, with a single line of railway, cXMweyed 750,000 men to a frontier 6000 miles distant from St. Petersburg, and Japan placed eight or nine hundred thtousamds in the fleid. But supposing that the attack had been made on the frontier of Ikdia, only 5000 miles from •tj» Russian centre, and connected with lines of rails, Lord Roberts pointed oat £kt Great Brjbain, even if she douMed £** arn, y iln< ' depended upon the assistant? <* *« «°l«ni e s as in the Boer war, could' w'j P ut SjO.OOO men w the field against .*"J traders, and for every majTin <*«* m f' be two mem in the army to altowfortlie .wastage of War. In ott^ l wo ! ds > ™ orde r to put half a million in" ™ e *»' d a million men were required, anu were not there He. inclined to the belief that a nation" thoroughly tlrain'ed in defence and thusi prepared would command respect. Look at the little country of SWITZERLAND,

xiglt in. the midst of the great armed | nations of Europe. That country had teen knocked about by almost every European army for cenltaries, but now every man was 'trained, and that little jwthm of three arid one-third million* of men cmfld mobilise its army in a day; two days later the whole of the> artillery could be mobilised. No 03c *eeraied anxious to pick 4 quarrel with Switzerland. He again l quoted from Lord Roberts: "It would be the height of folly for ns to enter on a campaign ■with any civilised Power depending upon an army constituted as ours'," and pointed .to some system of COMPI'SORY TRAINING as the only remedy. The volulntaty system, he proved by figures had the effect of filling the ranks of the army physical degenerates, whereas in , Germany, Switzerland and other coun>ijfojes the army is fairly representative titlj&ltte Stamina a7id physique of the nation. Our requirements for the British Array were such &at the ordinary senior school cadet was eligible, except ■ ;-. ~», FiguTes were quoted to show ;'' this, (physical ffegemeratibn. co* .';.... a enormous loss of life in theItaer .war-#2 per cent., as against 35 in the Framco-Prussian ,war, and 25 in ; tlbe RussOTJaipane3e war, with their atInidwt •winter mfeeties. He outlined r »"stfem in .which mem would give only 3 ; J days id •tthte fIrSW. year, 14 days hf each of the next .tlwo, and mobilisation' S qr Easter isii the next two years. That :■.:;' INTERFERE WITH INDUSTRIAL LIFE. jSt any rate, the nation's .wilifch took ■ rosm out of tilte, 'intluKtraal ranks for /ears' at a time iWerc our most formidable commercial rivals, sw- thl-re need ho. no fear oil that .score. He urged his hearers that Parliament could not iring about thi* system unitil the people showed they were ripe for a change, sMld said that "if .he could bring them to that in a. couple of months' private Kfe si!e> haid done more llia'n in all yeiitß of pnHLftal Vile. 3ir Pascoe recited "The Charge of the Light brigade" and Mr T. Woodard' sang ' The Englisfcimsin's Home" . • SPEECH BY MAJOR ITALOXE. MlujOr Malone moved: "That this" meeting is of opinion that no sytftem of defence, is satisfactory that is not based on unneraaj military training and I fce/rvfee, and is therefoi* in favor of arnib, aervioe, and urges the. Government l to eataibiMi it" Hs eaid he- knew that .there iwerc people wtoo disagreed with the doctrine, but «> long as man n» . v maimed what he \va* no nation would *■* Jwwt to any arbiter but war in the sel---.Mleinent of disputes, although nai vii -S eruel. dresdfnl, and logically wrong.' 3>**|Bnt it helped in the making of then War and virtue went together; I n». Speaking of Britain's

of a foreign descent upon l Britain', whaiu the ,Xavy would be practically inoilective. And when- the foreigner had Joan Buil by the throat, lie would ask for New Zealand. And this country .might be ceded. New Zealandeilj would Ob-

jet't, and we ought to be in a position to say to the invader, "Take tl.ns country if you can." Bu't to talk fight we must be fit, anVl we were awt lit now to put up a, decent iiuht. A VETERAN'S OPINION.

Mr. H. Eyre-Kenny seconded the motion. No niiiin, he said, who read tiie newspapers and magazines, could doubt that the Empire Had readied a crisis. He believed that if the Empire went to war, New Zealam. w.mbl ,be attacked, firsWy, to .provide, it diversion; set-fondly to rtfL-iiw a itUse for an attack upon' Aisstralh; and, thirdly, to secure Westport and its coal supplies. There was no douL'i. .that the crisis was' approaching daily; the "wolf was at the door,'' and we weTC not ready to keep the disagreeable animal out. He. .trusted the natfc'n would be prepced, civlm, and serene, .whett the fateful hour caane and )f liutf took Mr. MeNnb's advice 'they would be fully prepared. He pointed out' thUt New Zealand h'ad ihad compulsory service during the Maori 'war, and that the Government hud power, wilhou(t fresh legislation, to call out any section of the people for military training. Tlie motion was carried by icckmaition and without dissent 1 . MR. IfciNAß THANKED. Licu't.-Col. OkcV, in mowing a. vote of tlianiks to Mr. Me.Vab. siid tlie .failure 1 of the volunteer system was t'halt it was i voiurXnry. The officers had no real! command over the men. and could not I compel them to do things which they desired not to do.

The vote wtas carried with prolonged applause.

Mr. M'cNalb, in replying, saw tbj'tlus caraptrigii- was nearly over. Then he would go to Europe amd study conditions in England, Norway and' Sweden. Upon his return he would, if necessary, take up the cudgels, jigtiin. A vote to the cliairanua and tin* singing of the National Anthem eontJude'd the meeting. ENTHUSIASM AT WANGANUI.

3y Telegraph.—Press Association. Wanganui, Friday. A largely-attended meeting of 'the local branch of the National Defence League ,was held last evening, including a large number of ladies. It was decided to form a women's branch and a Red Cross corps. It was also decided Mat the citizens of Wanganui provide a championship rifle- challenge belt and a team shield, to be competed for annually by primary school cadets throughout the Dominion. The meeting was very enthusiastic and a large number of members was enrolled.