The Daily News. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1919. TERRITORIAL TRAINING.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 November 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1919. TERRITORIAL TRAINING.

In his recent statement regarding' Territorial training, the Minister for Defence (Sir Jas. Allen) put forward a revised scheme involving three years' training instead of seven. He now suggests that two months' concentrated training (instead of four) in the first year, and two weeks in each of the two following years would give much better results than the present system, and cost no more money. The Minister takes a strong stand on the principle that if the best results are wanted from the expenditure involved, then the present scheme, which is regarded as inefficient, must be improved. That argument is unassailable from a business point of view. It does not, however, touch the main question of whether a large military force should be built in the Dominion. Compulsory military training is regarded by a section of the community as objectionable and unnecessary, even for Home defence, and as unthinkable in the light of creating a standing army. It is the fear of militarism becoming an obsession that is at the root of the opposition to compulsory military training, whereby young men are taken from their homes at .a crucial period of their lives and brought together in military camps, with all the dangers of sickness, disease and subversion of morals. The Minister undoubtedly means well by propounding his modified scheme, but there is a strong feeling that he is acting on the wrong lines, though, probably, on the advice of his officers. The advent of the League of Nations was supposed to have struck'the death knell of conscription, whereby the armies of the' Continent were organised to protect their own countries from invasion. The Dominions are not in that position, and are never likely to be. The real use of the New Zealand force would be to act as an Imperial adjunct in case of need. In order to arrive at an accurate conception of what the Minister has in view by his scheme of Territorial training, it is only necessary to bear in mind the recent review of this matter by General Richardson, who said it was essential that the New Zealand forces should be specially organised "to carry out the task which would be j •allotted to. them in the event of ■

war/' on the principle observed in regard to the British Amy. At the same time General Richardson states that the war had shown that home defence was best assured by the navy. What he did not mention was the fact that, beyond being made physically fit, becoming more or less disciplined and acquiring a certain amount of drill, most of the time spent by our boys in the territorial training camps was practically wasted, their initiation into the art of modern warfare not being accomplished until after going to Trentham and unlearning much of what they had learned. Better far to expand and perfect the cadet system, which, coupled with physical exercises, furnishes an excellent foundation for discipline and training. General Richardson admits that, provided there is available an ample supply of well trained officers and n.c.o's, the manhood of the nation, properly classified, . and having passed through a short, intensive course of training as cadets, they could be quickly trained and made efficient as reinforcements. In view of the shortage of labor, and the great task before the Dominion in obtaining increased production, it is little wonder that Sir Jas. Allen's proposals for military training have aroused considerable opposition. His modified scheme of camps is open to the same objections as his original plan. We venture to suggest, however, that if the cadets were thoroughly trained and made physically fit they would be a great national asset without becoming militarised. Obviously it is necessary to have a constant succession of n.c.o's in training and keeping abreast of the latest methods in military movements, while returned officers might be ready and willing to act in a volunteer capacity on payment of all expenses. The tendency of the Defence Department at present is to be a miniature British War Office, spending unlimited money. The country urgently needs the strictest economy, and this can be achieved in military matters, without the sacrifice of efficiency, by following the lines indicated above, while avoiding the dislocation of industry and the disadvantages attaching to military camps.