DISCUSSIONS BY ARMY TRAINEES

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26856, 8 October 1952, Page 8

DISCUSSIONS BY ARMY TRAINEES

Camp Instruction In Current Events MINISTER REPLIES TO CRITIC (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, October 7. “The latest intake of territorial recruits has not had discussion groups on background topics of current events, because it has been found that, with the shortened period of training, insufficient time could be devoted to them to give them full value,” said the Minister of Defence (Mr T. L. Macdonald) today, when he replied to a letter to the editor of “The Press,” signed “P.J.A.” The correspondent said it was feared that political instruction at military camps was being given by persons who were unqualified to impart the facts. A prominent lecturer in education in Wellington had been shown a series of proposed talks on the subject. His comment was that they were not based on historical facts, and that it was wrong to twist the minds of the young with such teachings. “In many instances, the discussion group method, rather than the lecture method, was adopted in order that the subject under discussion could be developed without being unduly influenced by the personal views of the leader of the discussion group,” the Minister said.

“Topics such as our own Parliamentary system, the British Commonwealth, and the Soviet system have been discussed,” Mr Macdonald said. “The discussion of New Zealand party politics has been avoided.” The Minister said that notes used bv discussion group leaders were prepared bv competent graduates. The draft notes were discussed freely with some university lecturers, and all inaccuracies so revealed removed. On no occasion was any statement made that there was any attempt to “twist the minds of the young.”

The Minister said that the notes used had been given to representatives of the press when requested, and had been studied and used in feature articles. Except in the case of the Communist Party’s weekly newspaper, there had never been a complaint that the notes were inaccurate or unfair.

To the "correspondent’s remark that “one 20-year-old trainee told me that, when he asked what he thought was a sensible question, he was accused by the instructor of being a Communist,” the Minister replied: ‘‘No comment can be offered unless further and fuller detailed information can be given, including the name of the trainee and the instructor. In this event, an inquiry will be instituted.”