A CITIZEN ARMY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 27, 26 October 1907, Page 12

A CITIZEN ARMY.

WHAT THE SWISS. SYSTEM MEANS.

The National Service League is to be congratulated (says the ''Standard" correspondent) upon tho successful openiug of whatpromises to be an experiment of the'greatest interest and importance in the solution o! the problem winch has puzzled every War Minister for the last hundred years, namely, tlio creation of a military system at onc< efficient, expansive, economical, and consi». tent with tiic spirit of modern democracy/ Such a system exists ready to hand in thif little Republic of Helvetia, whose motto, in. matters military and civil alike/ is "Each for-all and all'for each."

It was a happy thought, then, to bring to-, gother a group of .men representative'ot the ; most varied interests and 'occupations "in order to show' tHom'tho' practical",working of the Swiss military system, especially, in. its relation to labour, industry, aiid'.tjie civie 1 life of the people. And the .Swiss,'authorities have met' the Lcaguo 'in a spirit" of generosity of, which it is impossible to speak too highly.: Never,' probably, has a private society, however important, aiming at a purpose purely national,; received so much ready and valuable help us has been accorded to the National Service League' by . the Swiss Government.

Before proceeding to' ; describe' wjiat was seen by.the British'-committee'in : the;'cours« of; a busy day's work, it may. be' as!, ivell briefly to; recall tho essential features, of th«,. Swiss Militia. system.' • Every Sjviss ' citizen '' is bound.to render military ;servico',in, the twentieth year of his agb'uuless; he.'ispliysically, unlit. In , this case, ho pays'a poll taj , of 4s. and a tax on income, and capital which •, varies from 6s.' 3d. 'to' as 'much 'as, £120' i " year, but this tax is not exacted at all fron the p00r..,. About ,23,000 men aro passed foi service,. annually, boiiig about. S3 per cent, of those who for medical, inspection. t Tlio Swiss , Militiaman (infantry),, goea through a recmit training of forty-five days, followed by, a repetition, co-arse of. eighteen days in alternate years during his sorvico in tho Elite (Auszug), that is, from the twentieth to tho end of tho thirty-sccond year of age. The Elito numbered 137,000 men in 1006. Tho soldier then passes into the 'Landwehr, which includes -men between the thirty-second and forty-fifth .year .of ago—92,000 in 1906. Finally, ;,'thorc Jast reserve, or Landsturm, from the' twentieth. : . to ' the fiftieth year of ago, part of which (37,000. in 1906) are armed and. part . unarmed (303,000 in 1906). The'tbtal of the three categories of armed troops in 19C6. was • 272,000 men, while the total available ines was 573,000. in-all. . ... ,

It is to bo observed ,tha|v.by .thenewi law which has passed both Legislative, Chambers, but which awaits tho decision; of; the, Referendum of November 3, tho recruit training' for the infantry, I .'is to bo increased to i 65 days, while there are to be annual training! ■ of eleven days during rthc period of.service,))] the Elite, the, training .in the, other arms, being increased, proportionately. It should, lie added that every officer rises from the ranks by merit and proficiency.alone, tho sacrifice! in time and labour which are entailed being . very heavy for men having. their own business or professions. But such is the high spirit of duty and - patriotism which ■ animates the whole people that there, is no- difficulty in finding plenty of candidates for ,the com- 1 ' missioned ranks." Indeed, tho 44,000-, officers I and lion-commissioned officers -of -the Swisi • army represent a/proportion of the papula- - tion of 3,300,000, equivalent to the whole, bi our Auxiliary Forces. The committee saw two import-ant rifile ranges, one at . Birsfelden, tho other, nt Allsehylerweiher. At ' both, shooting , was going on tho whole of Sunday, except,from eleven' to' two, the firing being controlled by Government officials, who supervise tho obligatory muskotry. course of those men who do not perform their, repetition l , course' in a given -year,' and generally superintend ths voluntary shootingr which ;na- • • tional pastime." '.-^oro.^jjl^jrmo- iassociations, -witli/l.'B?,6of),Vmoinbere,-, q ®Bp"".servi<jß rifle, the Schmidt-Rubin, aloiio.is used. - Ammunition is sold by the Government at Cost price—a halfpenny.- a '.shot—and', eompctitioiia and shooting'.festivals aro frequently • held. At these meetings the prize is laurel wreath; ' Pot-hunting- is -practically non-existent, and' it may be; added that lio drinking is allowed on the ranges. . It will be seen, from tho. above figures that there is vastlv nioro voluntary r shooting carried out by men who havo to perform a serious national duty than with .us, whore: the defence of tho ; country, is left .to.those who choose to- take mart-in it. From the' range at Birsfelden the"party proceeded to-, the banks of the Rhine, ■.where a half battalion of what wo might ,call senior cadets were, in- , spectcd, and' a volunteer, . pontoon , section ' took the ■"committee over the river, about forty of the boys swimming over alongside of the pontoons. > These boys are between ! sixteen and twenty,, and join the voluntary corps in order 'to practise .; the : exercises which it will be their duty; to carry;out it their twentieth year as regular Militia ro emits.- : The course consists of three stages, of which the earlier aim chiefly at physical development, the third being devoted to the first instruction: in drill and musketry. There were 6SOO in tho third class m 1906. Besides theso'there were 54 cadet corps of boys still'at' school, between twelve arid,six-, All theso offorts,. as well as' the'ponteon'.' sections,' Red Cross societies; '.bearer ' cbm-'' paniesj and balloon sections, aro purely; voluntary, the outcome of tho- desiro to servo • the country in. a: personal capacity ; over .and above the 'measure that is 'required, as - a duty from every Swiss citizen. "And all this work is 'absolutely { unpaid. Indeed; ■ ill i many cases, those who givo their'services ■ also "contribute t-o. the common; funds. Most':of this "voluntary. patriotism is practised,, oil : Sundays, the only free day. in Switzerland;,, but religion and morals aro far from .sufteriiif thereby, and the Swiss youth' thinks it perfectly natural- to go from' the butts to; divine service, and from church to tho liasium. The British Committee,witnessed a u very . interesting gymnastic performance at the KAingchtkiil Club. ,; 'As in. all theso: clubs, ~ members c'omo from every .class. They .meet'; three evenings a .week, and on Sundays, and ; the .combined, gymnastics are /'carried' out with enthusiasm.' It. is safe ' to, say, that- _tho. whole committee have been, profoundly impressed by what they, have witnessed, the . general,lioto ' being..one .of, surprise,, that , where so iuucli' is, asked,of /mcii. as a .duty, ? so much more is; done. as! a' right and a pn v '.- .', lege.",' ■