THE CADET MOVEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 94, 20 April 1906, Page 2

THE CADET MOVEMENT.

The following letter has been forwarded to the Education Board by the Grafton School Committed:—

At the recent meeting of the Grafton District School Committee correspondence was read. in connection with cadet orrder, recently issued by Lieut.Colonel Lovcday, whjch insists that class firing by the cadets is compulsory in order to earn capitation. ' My committee strongly protest against that action of the Defence Department in making class-firing compulsory for capitation, and the commit/tee think if such is enforced it will prove the deathblow to the cadet movement, for the following reasons:—(a) With an overcrowded syllabus it i 3 impossible for. class-firing to be dosse during school hours as the nearest available rifie pange is at Penrose. The Grafton Cadot Corps consists of abont 60 boys, and, as each boy is expected to fire 25 rounds it would take about four and a-half d£ys to qualify for capitation, (b) The; woTk cannot be done before or after school hours, as although the cadet officers take a keen interest iv this "work they regard, the. order as mandatory, ar,d what thy would be willing to do voluntarily they absolutely refuse to do under compulsion, (c) Very few of then/, at present, consider themselves compete to give instruction in the handling oj a rifle, (d) Nearly all the cadet oflSniers are young men who are striving to improve themselves in the profession. This can be done only by attending tbe special classes held on Saturdays at the University ajid tbe Technical Scjhool. If the Government j consider that shooting Is a necessary part of a boy's training, provision should he made for it in the syllabus. The com- J mittee. ..con/sider that jf boys are | thoroughlyitrained: in. physical.and mili- : 'tary drill,, teachers have done all that can reasonably Be expected- of thenr, Shootr ing epuld ,;be taken. up after the- boys j leave the. primary schools. The .Defence Department also advocate .sending the' cadets into camp.for a.week-or two. dnr- j ing each, year. The committee consider! the idea unsound, and if earned into effect it will undoubtedly injure the boys I both morally .-and physically... My .com- | mittee- desire to support--the action of ■ tho Ponsonby School Committee -who wrote to the -Board expressing their ■ stnong of both schemes. —JL i. -Fattoaamv b-on. ...aec* A