The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 8. AUSTRALASIAN DEFENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 333, 8 March 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 8. AUSTRALASIAN DEFENCE.

Lord Kitchener is essentially a man of action and promptitude. The day after he had completed his inspection of the defence 'forces of Australia he handed in •his report to the authorities. He was even more prompt in New Zealand, for on the last day of his inspection his report was ready and handed to the Premier, whose colleagues are now considering it. The publication of the report •will be awaited with interest. We have some idea of what form it will take from his recommendations to thp Commonwealth Government of Australia. The principal features of the latter have ibeen cabled. A perusal of the text of his scheme, published in the Australian papers just to hand, however, throws rather a new light on the proposals. It makes clear the extent of the tax proposed to be placed on the time of the common soldier. This is an important point, as it affects the industries of each j locality. The proposals are that re-cruits—lß-19 years —and training solI diers—l9-20 years—should give up, | "over and above home training," sixteen days a year, eight of which should be In camp; those of 20-25 years, six clays, all in camp; those of 25-215 years, a muster parade only. After 26 years the men pass into the reserve. The recruits are not counted in the 80,000 members of the force, Ibut they must be counted as members of the industrial force or the country, and these, together with the first-year men, are estimated at nearly one-third of the total. Their sixteen days, and the six days in camp to Saturday, inclusive, is suggested—for the rest of the force, cannot be considered an exorbitant demand upon the working time of anv town industry, seeing that it has been possible to give up 52 half-holidays for no particular purpose. It would not do to take young men from the farms in the middle of shearing or harvest time; but officers in charge o'f arrangements would surely have sense enough to avoid that. The purpose of the camp training is stated to be—to give the 'men an incentive to home training, the habit of working in units, of moving and living in numbers, and of ready obedi- 1 ence to orders. The home training referred to is not defined, but the time set down fo r it (in addition to the time in camp) is eight days, and the training generally, "should consist of all that is essential to good marching, accurately controlled shooting, and the combination of all arms In attack and defence.'' Interest is to be given to the training by the adoption of suitable exercise, an operation of some kind to be carried out at the next annual camp (annually changed and made progressively difficult), the operation to be studied in the home training and variously practised to find the best way o'i doing it. Generally, the principles contained in the manuals of the Regular Army should be followed, modified with discretion to suit the different'circumstances of the country, in personnel, ground and composition of force. The ""home training" which is tp be undergone over and above the- "days" of training, is not defined, but is to be encouraged by the ' district officers. Doubtless the term is meant to cover drillshed work and shooting practice. The report takes note of the cadets, junior (12 to 14 years) and senior (14 to 18 years), but with an important "exception, only to specify the time to be devoted to training, 120 hours annually for the former and 16 days for the latter. That exception is the principle that the officers to be trained in the "West Point" of Australia must be caught young, therefore the candidates fo r instruction at the military college m'usl be selected from among the senior cadets. The proposals in the report if adopted will - limit the selection somewhat, as the cadet is to pay £SO a year for his college course, except a proportion of onefourth for the annual draft, to be provided for by scholarships. A line of promotion fs also provided io r non corns, who can qualify T>y home study, and this they are to be encouraged to do.