THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1908. VERY RAW MATERIAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3013, 9 October 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1908. VERY RAW MATERIAL.

Professor Tucker, of Melbourne University, recently described in an interview, the mortification and feeling of mora! repulsion he experienced in Trafalgar Square on ayriving from Germany. "In the latter land men serve their country, and are ready for its needs, simply because it is recognised that the country has an indefeasible claim to such service,' - ' said the Professor. "In England,, the most natural means of providing for the national defence seems to be by appointing theatrically bedizened warriors to tout or play spider along the front of the National Gallery, and to wheedle reluctant but weak-willed or semi-ihv ebriated manhood into enlisting to 'serve the King.' This proceeding strikes me as deplorably unworthy of a nation which is in so many other respects—as 1 feel more and more by comparison the most civilised nation in the world." Comment like this is not particularly pleasant to the patriotic Briton. Mor is the

latest report of the Army Medicßl Department. The majority of recruits who joined in 1907 were growing lads out of employment. In many instances they were suffering from want of food, and generally were in poor condition. Most of them were under five feet five inches in height. Average Britis i recruits are, on enlistment, the youngest and in the poorest physical condition of those in any rivilised army. They cannot stand work which would not injure well-fed conscripts of twenty years of age. Still less can they face exercises which would do no harm to robust men. The tests to which recruits used to be subjected are much too severe tor the men of to-day, and have been modified. A recruit of three months' service used to be required to "double" for a mile, pull up to the chest on a bar at least ten times, "press up" at least fourteen times on parallel bars, and jump at least three feet; but average recruits cannot manage these now. It is true that nearly all these young men are expected to develop into excellent soldiers, thanks to good food and military training, but most of them will not be able to do the work of a mature soldier for at least two years.