MILITARY TRAINING

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 194, 16 August 1911, Page 6

MILITARY TRAINING

(To the Editor.) Sir, —There is considerable agitation just now re the above, so I crave space to put my views before the workers and socialists. For I, too, am a worker, if you can call one such who has farmed a bush section for more than 30 years, and did my 72 to 75 hours per week (including Sundays and holidays) at cow-milking. I am also a Socialist, but it is not of the New Zealand type, which last is but a magnified form of trade unionism. There is a fear of German aggression in England, and the facts warrant that fear. Germany has the vastest, and best disciplined, and best equipped army that the world has ever seen. She is ambitious, vain of her powers, and is governed by a Kaiser, who is self-conceited, and dreams of European conquest. She has tried to compete with Britain on the sea, building warships in secret. She has no colonies worth the name, while her population is expanding at a far greater rate than that of Britain; she needs colonies for her overflow. Now, how would these silly Socialists like to be under the "mailed fist" of this power? Low wages, and conscription under peril of the lash, would he their portion. This Dominion would suit the Germans well: and would be the first that they would take. We could repel such numl*>rs of them as could possibly come here if we were trained and disciplined; not else. All the above arguments apply equally well to Japan, the other Power that we have to dread, with this difference that the Japanese wages are about sixpence per day. The argument that war is made by, and for, the capitalists, is the most illogical and foolish ever adduced. It concerns every citizen of a country to have peace. For if the capitalists were ruined the workers would starve. Capitalists are as certain to result from an individualist social system as water to run down. hill. Change the system, but don't_rail at the capitalists. But I vain the workers, that to. change the system will take many years; it takes

a long growth to get aa infant's foot to fit a number seven boot, and, while the system is in a transition state, we are in danger. Conscientious objections! Fiddlesticks! Penn the Quaker had conscientious objections to retaliating on the Indians of America, but found that he had to use force or be wiped out. It is folly to say that Socialists of one country would not fight against Socialists of another; they wouM be forced to do so, because they are numerically weak, and poor in money. The ruling class is always obeyed because it has power and money at its back. Let the Socialists get into power, and, when that happens, among the great nations, war will cease to exist. Nobody wants war, either in the Old Land or here; I have often been in action, and have seen many killed, and 1 hate it. But 1 hate far more to see my family and my friends and neighbours slaughtered, their property confiscated, ami the remainder practically reduced to the position of slaves, all for want of the training, discipline, and cohesion necessary to repel an invader. I know from experience what military training would do for the youth of this Dominion. It would teach them what they sadly need, namely, how to obey; it would take them from the street corners, from the drink shops, and the racecourse; it would make them alert and thoughtful as becomes good citizens; in a word it would improve them, physically, mentally, and morally. The argument, or rather assertion, that our small force is meant for aggressive purposes, is too absurd for refutation.—l am, etc., JOILN \V. KENAIL Papatoetoe, 14th August, 1911.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I would ■crave a little space in jour valuable paper to correct what is evidently a misunderstanding. I refer to that part of the Police Court proceedings headed " Christadelphian Problem." .Sub-Inspector Hendrey mentioned that a prominent member of the Christadelphian fraternity, a Mr. Taylor, had registered his son on condition that he was posted into an ambulance corps. This is a fact which I do not deny. Mr. Batten said he knew this, but added that 1 had deplored the fact among my own Church people. This would make it appear that I was sorry after I had done so, which is not true, and was never intimated by me to anyone. The SubInspector must either have misunderstood Mr. Batten, or Mr. Batten misunderstood me—probably the former. 1 still maintain and hope that there will be made provision for his transference to the Civil ambulance when opportunity occurs. As a member of nn ambulance corps, I consider that he is there with the sole object of doing good to his fellow man, and good only. What I do deplore is that the law compels men to train for the ultimate purpose of doing violence to their fellowinan; and this not only obtains in this fair country of ours, hut all over the civilised world. —I am, etc., A. E. TAYLOR.