SCHOOL CADET CORPS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22231, 23 October 1937, Page 16

SCHOOL CADET CORPS

I VALUE OF SPECIALIST | UNITS RETENTION URGED ON MINISTER [THE PRESS Special Service.] I DUNEDIN, October 22. j A protest against the abolition of the specialist corps in secondary school cadets was contained in a letter from the rector of the Otago Boys' High School (Mr H. P. Kidson) which came before a meeting of the board of governors. "It has been made clear to us that specialist sections in the cadets are to be abolished," wrote Mr Kidson. "This applies to the. Lewis gun ana artillery sections at the school. The discipline of a good cadet corps is a thing which, I am convinced, is 01 great benefit to the individuals in the corps. They learn to see the value of orderliness and of good organisation perhaps more quickly through the cadet corps than through other school activities. The drill itself, if done well, has a good effect, too, in smartening up a boy. I do not pretend that all boys love their drill, but they do take pride in it when it is done well, and non-commissioned officers do definitely see value in it for themselves and are eager to gain and retain their rank. Moreover, a good school corps does tremendously help in creating a good school esprit de corps. "Most of us after the war had a desire to remove the military element as far as possible from cadet work, Mr Kidson continued. "We hoped to bring up future generations with the idea that war was both futile and avoidable. Unfortunately, recent events have shown that we must still be prepared to defend our legitimate interests, and those of others, with as big an armed force as passible, until the necessity for this is removed. Greater Interest Wanted "It seems unnecessary for us to be too squeamish about the military element in training. Moreover, if you remove the military aim behind the work the whole organisation will be opt to become rather artificial and will lose its savour and its effectiveness. I am afraid that plain infantry training by itself will be uphill work for the officers, who are, of course, masters of the schools. Something of greater interest should be added. Given some facilities, we might yet expand cadet corps' work so that it will have greater Interest in itself, while at the same time training potential leaders for civil as well as for possible military occupations. I would retain the military organisation, but direct the work more towards physical training and such things as ambulance work and first aid, swimming and life-saving, elementary map work and field sketching, signalling, elementary field engineering, and plenty of musketry, including much range work. "I suggest that the board should make some recommendation to the Defence Department along these lines. that cadet corps should be encouraged to continue their work by the provision of instructors in such things as I have mentioned and by a capitation grant to enable material to be purchased for the work," Mr Kidson concluded, It was decided to support the attitude of the rector and to forward" a copy of the letter to the Minister for Education (the Hon. P. Fraser). ARMAMENTS FOR DEFENCE (PBZSS ASSOCIATION TELEORAU.) DUNEDIN, October 22. The Anglican Synod, discussing military training, passed a resolution: "That this Synod believes it to be according to the mind of God for a nation to be sufficiently armed, and her manhood sufficiently trained to defend herself and to protect the weak from the strong."