The Waikato Argus [PUBLISHED DAILY.] A Guaranteed Circulation of over 8000 Weekly. TUESDAY. APRIL 14. 1908.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXIV, Issue 3757, 14 April 1908, Page 2

The Waikato Argus [PUBLISHED DAILY.] A Guaranteed Circulation of over 8000 Weekly. TUESDAY. APRIL 14. 1908.

The Premier of South Australia, the cable informs us, in the course of a speech before the Australian section of the London Chamber of Commerce said he was entirely in accord with Mr Deakin's scheme of citizen soldiership. In view of the awakening in the East, somebody must stand up and be ready to fight if they are going to retain Australia as a jewel in the Crown of the Empire. It is generally recognised in Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand that public opinion is not ripe for universal service. We have an Act on the Statute Book providing for the compulsory service of every individual capable of bearing arms in the hour of national peril; in addition we are bound by an understanding with the Imperial authorities, who represent the other side to ours of the partnership, that each member must maintain adequate forces for the defence of his localitiy, and all relying in common on the British Navy to do its share.J Finance Ministers, from

the Chancellor of th: Exchequer , downwards, both in the interests of ■ the Departments they administer and in view of their credit as financiers, are generally opposed to any addi- i tional expenditure on prcj aration for war, unless the danger of an outbreak is manifest. The rumble beneath the surface, although it evidences that an earthquake is liable to take place at any moment, does not prevent us from building chimneys and sitting composedly by our firesides. There are rumours of war at frequent intervals, but these do not stir us into activity. We slumber, more or less soundly, until the first angry shot vibrates and awakens us to consciousness of our peril. Then the patriotism of our people stirs them to activity; there is a rush to the standards of men who, in a sense, come empty-handed —without training or skill in the use of the most modern weapons; the recruits have splendid courage, but no training. All authorities on war problems tell us that without this training even brave defenders in the hour of trial will be surer of massacre than glory. The volunteers of this Dominion are our first line of defence. These are manifestly too few in number'to offer effectual resistance to invaders. A contemporary puts the position very tritely when he writes: "They are not disciplined, because they'have never had the opportunity of learning what discipline means. They are not vital, because the officers who have struggled for years to ensure vitality have grown disgusted and resigned. They are, moreover, quite inexpansible; have no reserves; nothing to make up the waste of war; no adequate equipment to en- : able them to hold the field for three : months against a trained enemy." It appears to us that a system by which every man in the country shall be compelled to submit to a period of training is the only possible means of placing New Zealand out of danger from attack or invasion, and, further, is the only means of fulfilling th? duty which we manifestly owe to ourselves, the Old Country, and the rest of the Empire.