MRS GODLEY'S APPEAL.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14474, 1 October 1912, Page 7

MRS GODLEY'S APPEAL.

PRIZES FOR GOOD SHOTS.

Tho request fronj Mrs Godley that the ladies of the Dominion should form a prite fund, with the object of encouraging the Senior Cadet movement, was discussed at a meeting in the City Council Chambers yesterday. Thore was a large number of ladies present-, and the Mayor presided.

The- Mnyor said that Mrs Hollan'l had received a communication from Mrs Godiey, requesting her to act in conjunction -with the Mayoresses ot other cities >n forming a hind for prizes for Senior Cadets. It would tx. , well to discuss the best method of carrying out that idoa. They would like Chnstchurch to do its share towards the encouragement of tho Senio r Cadets —they were ail their own flesh and biocd, and it was their duty as citizens and parents to give their boy? every encouragement in the course of training they were undergoing. Personally, he thought the training was doing a creat deal of good to tho boys —for one tfcng it gave them an interest 111 their country. It was all very well for a few irresponsible people to talK About laying down arms. They knew that sportsmen and athletes underwent a strenuous course of training bocatii': tho other man was training. AVhilo the other nations were training it was their duty to prepare to defend the ; r homes and their country. The idea of the present appeal was to offer inducement to the boys to become fully qttaJiRod athletes nnd good shots, so that if shcoting were to be done they would be capable of doing it. Lieut.-Col. Day then addressed the meeting on tho subject. A great ben<>fit would be derived, he said, from taking an interest in the training of their ycung men. Hβ would givo a slight and brief idea of the position the autonomous Dominions bore towards tho Mother Country. If they looked at the position from an international point of view they would see that during the past fifty years the set of circumstances governing these colonies had entirely changed. Tho defence policy of Great Britain could be divided into two parts —the internal aspect and tho external aspect—and it was clear, to take one onse, that tho strategic bnsis of the British Navy had been altered. They wore led to nsk why was defence boing made such a paramount question. Lord Kitchener had laid down a dictum which provided that New Zealand should muster 30,000 men, of whom n large number were Senior Cadets—boys from 1-1 years to 18 years. It ha/1 been said that the boys would be contaminated if they went into the Territorials, but his experience was that many of the boys were more contnnhn nted before they went into the Territorials than any Territorial Corps could malco them. The officers had had to &ct about removing that influence, and tho results had been very satisfactory Ho referred to tho success of the New Zealand and Australian cadets in Chnnda, and to the course of training which the cadets had undergone. He coulrl safely say that when New Zealand' 3 Senior Cadets wero drafted into the Territorials they would make excellent material, and any prizes would give great encouragement to them. There could be no doubt that the Empire was approaching a crisis—letters from Home all said the same thing: they feared for the future. They m the distant Dominions would have to take their part in anything that occurred and they should remember the old maxim: Their best way to prevent war was to be prepared for it. And si they must take caro of tho efficiency of their cadets. In taking up thiV work, tho ladies would bo taking up Imperial work, and work that would have significance in the future.

In answer to a question, Lieut.Colonel Day Baid t hat there were nearl,. , one hundred separate Senior Cadet Corps in and about Christch'urch. Fm the first year there would principally be instruction, and then teams' fr>atche a would follow. He believed t*at the idea was to provide a prize for each corps. A lady said that it would be a good idea for them to watch the boys shoot, "and turn out to see them drill, too." Liout.-Colonel Day: I wish you would.

The Mayoress said that she understood that Mrs Godley's idea was to give a prize to each corps; she supposed for the best shot. •

The ladies decided to take up th<s work of collecting subscriptions, one of their number remarking: "We have got the interest of the Senior Cadets very much at heart, and will do our best to help them;" It was also decided to adjourn the meeting till a date in October, and that in the meantime v the Mayoress should obtain fuller details of the scheme from Mrs Godley. The Mayor suggrste.l that each city should be set a definite amount to collect.

The meeting closed with a vote of thajiks to Lieut.-Colonel Day.