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APPENDIX IV.

Inspection of Ist and 2nd North Canterbury Battalions by His Excellency the Governor on the 17th August, 1904. [Extracted from.the Lyttelton Times, 15th August, 1904.] The cadets were all dressed alike—navy-blue jersey and knickerbockers, with red collar and cuffs, and glengarry field-service caps, with red and white checker band. The boys are so far armed only with the dummy rifles—made of wood, which will not fire bullets made of lead—though each school has a proportion of Lee-Enfield carbines, in the use of which and for target purposes they receive certain instruction, though the amount of ball practice is inadequate in the opinion of many experts. The New Zealand flag was hoisted at the saluting-base, a flagpole having been erected. The cadets were drawn up in column of company formation. The parade state showed a total, including staff, of 710. As Lord Plunket arrived on the parade-ground the band played the National Anthem, and immediately afterwards His Excellency proceeded to inspect the several companies, passing along each corps. Afterwards the cadets marched, and were then formed in one line and saluted, the band, playing " God Save the King." Three sides of a square were then formed, and the Governor addressed the cadets, who, at the conclusion of his speech, gave three hearty cheers for Lord and Lady Plunket. His Excellency the Governor addressed a few remarks to the cadets. Ke congratulated the boys and the teachers upon the splendid muster, and he also made complimentary references to the effectiveness of the cadet system as solving the problem of conscription. The Government was to be congratulated upon introducing the public-school cadet system. To him it appeared that such an organization was desirable, not alone for the good of the colony, but for the boys themselves. The drill and discipline in which the lads were instructed were calculated to improve them and to make them obedient, and, he thought, better men than would otherwise be the case. Many contended that the system was calculated to engender too strong a spirit of militarism, but he did not agree with those who held such views. At Home the cadets were not encouraged to the same extent, proportionately, as in New Zealand. There were, of course, cadet corps in connection with some of the well-known schools and Volunteer corps. He was proud to say that he had himself been a cadet. But the public-school idea, as introduced in New Zealand, was receiving the attention of the authorities in the Motherland, and he hoped to hear that a leaf would be taken from New Zealand's book in this matter. He was much impressed with the cadet system, and he would earnestly watch its progress. He felt that parents realised the amount of good that the system bestowed on their boys. The training would set a boy up, besides giving him an insight into military life, which might in years to come be of advantage to his country and to himself. In this public-school cadet movement he saw that the Government had introduced one of the best organizations of the kind in the world for the people's benefit and for the country's. A little incident in discipline had pleased him very much. He noticed that the boys marched past with their eyes well to the front. Now, he realised, having been a boy himself, how hard it was to do this, and he congratulated the cadets upon having paid attention to this important point of discipline, for it showed him that they observed and carried out the instructions of their tutors. Previous to 1902, he understood that there were no public-school cadets in Canterbury North. The splendid muster before him testified to the progress of the movement and the foresight of its initiators. The Right Hon. R. J. Seddon, Minister of Defence, at the conclusion of the parade, addressed the officers of the two battalions and Colonel Loveday. After congratulating the teachers on the excellent parade, the Premier referred to the manner in which the Duke of York, on his visit to New Zealand, was impressed with the cadet force which he saw r at the review on Hagley Park. The Duke then expressed the opinion that the system would have much to do with the solution of the problem of conscription throughout the Empire. Some time ago the Home authorities had sent to New Zealand for information on the public-schools cadet movement, and he felt that the introduction of such a system in England would be beneficial. The excellent muster he saw before him was gratifying to him as Minister of Defence, and the result of the Governor's inspection, together with the information that was being sought from the New Zealand Government on the matter, would tend to advance the interests of the colony. He agreed with His Excellency when he said that there was no reason to fear that too great a military spirit was being engendered in New Zealand. During the South African war the proceedings in sending contingents had been characterized by moderation, and the men had, at the conclusion of hostilities, settled down to normal conditions again. The Volunteers had never gone to extremes, and he claimed that the support given to the Mother-country at that time had shown the strength of the British Empire. The Volunteer movement was progressing. There were 19,000 men in the colony's Defence Force, and 11,000 cadets, besides the large number of rifle-club men and Defence Cadets. In no part of the Empire were the boys of the public schools being trained as in New Zealand. He believed, too, that by the introduction of the system the teachers obtained an even better grip of the boys, for the drill imparted to them and the necessity of an observance of proper discipline tended to mould their characters more uniformly, and the boys, he thought, would show the benefits from the training as they reached manhood. He recognised that teachers sacrificed much to give the time and work which they did to the movement, and he thanked them sincerely. He thought that Colonel Love lay was doing good work, and was deserving of praise for his earnestness in furthering the interests of the cadet system. He had always found that where enthusiasm existed success wais bound to follow. And this applied to our school-cadet force. In the matter of camps, it had been suggested to him that ra>Ti facilities might be given to the cadets in this dir ction. He pointed out that the adult corps had first to be attended to, and the camp equipment of the colony was limited, but he quite realised the benefits that would accrue to the junior force from a proper course of camp instruction, and if the officers