COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3175, 28 April 1909, Page 3

COMPULSORY TRAINING.

IS IT COMING? INTERVIEW WITH MR M'NAB. In an interview with a "Lyttelfcon Times" representative, Mr K. McNab. who held the position of Minister fur Defence in the last Parliament, said he was a very strongsupporters of the scheme to establish a system of compulsory military training in New Zealand. He was a volunteer officer himself, and took a deep interest in the theory and study of defence. In cortequence he had become acquainted with all the question. -r ; v., masaa Mr. McNab believes that the defence of the country must always be voluntary. He advocates compulsory training, not compulsory service, and he says that no exceptions should be made in regard to compulsory training. "It will be found to be most economical and most effective to have all men placed on_ the same footing," he said. "If this proposal were adopted volunteers of to-day would become the instructors and the trainers of a largo annual draft of men who would come up for training. During the recent manoeuvres, in conversation with the volunteer officers of the regiment with which I was associated, I found that all of them were looking forward to an opportunity for giving their services in the way of training, in the drill shed and in the field, to men who were being brought out c.ompulsorily. I know of many volunteer officers, in fact, who are only holding on because they believe that we are on the eve of the introduction of some system of- compulsory training." Speaking of the present volunteering system, Mr McNab said that he would not say that it had broken clown. The trouble was that the demands made by the system had increased so enormously that men whose leisure time was limited could not do what was required from them. They could not now get three quarters of their training under the roof of the drill shed; it had to be done out in the field. There was «an increased demand on the men's time during their hours of work. It was becoming so great that it was almost impossible to obtain the necessary number of men. That was one of the great weaknesses of the present system. No increase of capitation, and no facilities for travelling free on the railway?, would remedy that defect. There was no comparison between the assistance given to the volunteer to-day and the assistance that was given him ten or fifteen yean ago. In spite of it all, he could not overcome the difficulties of his position. But if it were made compulsory for every man to undergo a certain amount of military training, every trade and industry would bo placed on the same basis, and each would have to make its requirements fit into the demands of the nation. Another weakness in the present system was in respect to the training of officers. They could not get their proper training, because the men could not afford sufficient time to take the field.

Under compulsory training, lie added, volunteer officers would lcok to the training camps and there they would be instructed and trained wiUi the men. Bach man's term of training should extend over not less than thre.3 year?. Be should go into camp once each yuar, for not less than one month on the first occasion, a>:d for shorter terms in the other two years. His total training, therefore, would only be a few months. As the average life of a volunteer was only two years, the training; would not be less than at present. After spending a month in a compulsory training camp, a man would be better drilled than the best drill jd man in the volunteers, outside of the special branches of the service, such as the engineers and the artillerymen. Weekly parades and that sort of thing would have to give way, and the present volunteering system would be merged into the new system.