BOYS AND DEFENCE.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14408, 16 July 1912, Page 2

BOYS AND DEFENCE.

BOGKCTS MILITARY SCHEME. GENERAL GODLEY'S VIEWS. (SPECIAL TO "THR rRESS-") WELLINGTON, July 15Somo pertinent comments on the military training of young boys were made by Major-General A. J. Godley (Commandant of the New Zealand Forces) in his evidence before tho Education Commission this morning. General Godley stated that in his opinion boys should not be given military training under fourteen years of age. Ho approved the demilitarising of tho junior cadets. The junior cadets, ho added, were put. under the control of the Education Department in order to protect them from the miliary authorities—(laughter)— and to prevent them from doing ! a great' deal ot military training. , 'i ue e tfect produced hatt been the very opposite to that intended. A separate military control had been set up which he could not recognise. On arrival at the ago ot fourteen years a boy was hanued over to him. Logically he could nob" accept anything a boy had done up to thatume; therefore they had. to start afresh.

| The Chairman (Mr Mart Cohen) .You have got to re-train him? 1 .General- Godley: Y es; I ha Ve had nothing to do with what they have dono in military training. I have no knowledge of what has taken place- A separate bogus and anomalous military organisation has been set up f or the junior Ci uiets which I cannot recognise, becauso from a military po i r .t ot view , tL U, t ! i? des, ? bl S Ti,e °* cers carried tho .titles of officers, General Godley S™ t0 T:u hut W-had no commissions and tho organisation'was a purely-.bogus military organisation. He was enormously interested-in. the the Position was anvVim g oT ' could n°t accept anj toim ot military training «>+ -in tion. He behoved very much in the Boy Scout movement, and als£ believed that certain portions of it could be aS plwnl to both the junior T«S *■- P ooAi>ij! TT-" v „ J u «uor and senior cadets. * 0 r boys under fourteen years of age he would mako +w! • nliv,:™! j_;-i lua »e the training phjsiwl drill, Avith a .very little mill" tary traimng. In Australia tho iun or cadets were not allowed to wjl «n uniform,and they were But they were under the Defenco X' partment. In Australia a hot ' w2 So not allowed to carry a rifle or £ any military training before he was four* teen years of age. . tourTho Chairman: We may tako it'thnt you. a iirge falling into hV {&?]££

General Godley: That is so Th* Chairman: And that" the whole should be under tho control Department? of your General Godley: I do objection to their remaining U WW ♦lS control of the Education Kj so long as they do not ™t military work. He saw the & Ptt+ jection, however, to their &\jfc tary recognition under present conj. turns. As happened m the, case of officers, if they were to have" SlftarV recognition, they would ha T f.' kI under military control * c to be