COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 38, 14 February 1910, Page 6

COMPULSORY TRAINING.

(To th« EdltorJ 6h-, —It has been proved that th« surest guarantee of peace is the perfect preparedness for war. If people like "Practical" and "Resistance" and others threaten to leave the Dominion when compulsory training is brought into operation, well, let them; the country will be better without them. H the country is worth living in, it is worth defending; if not, let them get out of it, and keep out, and leave the country to better men. All this talk about infringing upon the liberty of the people is utter rot. It is not their liberty they are thinking about; the fact is, they are afraid it might interfere with their pleasures; and while they are quite willing that the volunteers should do all the work, and also take every opportunity to laugh and jeer at a man in uniform, they buck when called upon to do their share. And why should they be allowed to do so? If occasion required, and all hands were called upon, these waster 3 would be yelling for arms (at least, those who had no sudden business in tlie ranges), and being untrained would, if supplied with arms, do more damage to themselves and their comrades than they would to the enemy. They would simply be an undisciplined, disorganised rabble, and little use it would be training men with the enemy knocking at our doors. We want men ready and willing to take the field, but men like "Practical" and "Resistance" are either too lazy or apathetic to take their share in the defence of the country.—l am, etc., ONE OF THE RESERVE.