COMPULSORY DEFENCE ACT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 226, 22 March 1912, Page 8

COMPULSORY DEFENCE ACT.

i w»i . CRITICISED BY THE W.C.T.U. , By Telegraph— Press Association. l Dunedin, Laat Night. t Included among the resolutions passed . ftt the W.C.T.U. Convention to-day , were the following: That no command- '. «pt of a section of the defence force , shall be at liberty to enter any school \ to inspect boys and girls in physical drill ( unless he has permission of the Board of Education under whose jurisdiction the " school is; that no youth under 21 years be allowed to volunteer for service outside New Zealand. "We emphatically protest against the law which jpermits youths under 21 years to be imprisoned for refraining to take the oath and submitting to compulsory military training. " While recognising the necessity of organisation and training of the citizen army for defence in case of hostile at- ( tack, we maintain that the citizen, shall ' be paramount to the soldier and strongly object jo certain provisions of the • IDefence Act, and urge its alterations in Ithe following directions: 'That mo youth under 21 years be compelled to bear arms or undergo military training; that any youths over 10 years of age be allowed to volunteer for military training land duty provided he has the consent .of his parents or guardians; that no man being of age be compelled to bear arms or perform military duty or undergo military training if he objects on conscientious grounds, but that he be required to render the equivalent in some other branch of the service; that 'no failure to register and no offence committed during the military training or on military duty after its expiation by punishment shall curtail for the future the citizen's right of voting or of bcin" employed in the Government service" (that all offences committed by members ■ of defence forces while on military duty in time of peace shall be tried before a I civil court, and in time of war an ap-

peal shall be allowed if required from the decision of the military to a civil I court.' As citizens and ratepayers we I wish to draw the public attention to the j cost of the present scheme of defence, which bids fair in the near future to be a heavy burden on the community and also to the great inequality of pensions." LADS RELEASED FROM PRISON. Ohristchurch, Last Night. Two lads under imprisonment at Lyttelton Gaol for refusing to take the oath of allegiance were liberated this afternoon before the completion of their sentence. Two others who had served their I terms were released at the same time, i =====