MILITARY TRAINING.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14307, 19 March 1912, Page 3

MILITARY TRAINING.

TO THE KDITOIt OK "THE TRUSS."

Sir,—'Military training is much 111 people's minds at present, and, thereare aspects of it which make many pause and think. I believo that the compulsion is absolutely necessary from physical, moral, and national reasons. }lost people appear to agree with nie. nnd as tho majority rules in "Xew Zealand, compulsion must be upheld. But those who seem to advocato defiance of tho law are largely they who would by a bare majority force many law-abiding pconle to give up some of what theso latter consider thoir legitimate pleasures. It is peculiar! The scenes wo have lately read of, whero Territorials turned on their officers, aro a disgrace to New Zealand. Presumably those men have been instigated to revolt by agents of the so-called Peaco Society. Wo have hero again evidence of ■ tho fact that the untutored and untrained are ever the most ready to fight and brawl. How can wo strengthen the authority of the officers so that decent discipline may bo maintained? I understood tliat largo training camps were to be established in each island. For breaches of discipline a period of forced detention in theso camps under severe military surveillance would be a suitable punishment. Any further breaches of discipline in these camps could be met by imprisoning tho culprit in the camp. For cases of assault men should be treated tho same as ordinary offenders, for they aro just those and no others. Those who reluso to swear allegiance to _ tho King and country should bo deprived of all citizen rights—to bo without votes, without the right of the protection of thp law save perhaps as far as bodily injury is concerned, and to have no right to the old ago pension. These rights could he restored when tho person thought better of it and proffered his services to Ins country, or given back after a period of time, to be judged by the time he delayed in giving his allegiance. At present wo aro encouraging tho breaking of law, and soon all respect for law will be gone. Someono suggested that defaulters be made camp followers, and made to do tho rough work. Why, that would be playing into their hands for they would not bo risking their skins! Surely the mothers who have been writing complaining of the military service cannot be British mothers 1 There was a time when British mothers gladly gave their boys to defend their Fatherland. If New Zealand is God's-own-Countrv then it is worth defending. But I sadly fear that the whole movement against our defence system is tho outcome of an clement strangely foreign to. British people, namely, a defiance of all restraint and authority. I should not be surprised to find that many of the mothers are the same as those who object to their boys being disciplined at school, and whose boys aro without much moral restraint at all. These defaulting lads deserve the whole-hearted contempt of all good New Zealanders.—Yours etc., A PIONEER'S GRANDSON.