THE AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE SCHEME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 February 1908, Page 6

THE AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE SCHEME.

The organisation of- the lanil (lefoiice of Australia, to which Mr. Reid, leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives, has offered some very strong objcctionsj was set out. in a memorandum submitted to the Federal Parliament on January 31. The memorandum is an amplification of details necessarily omitted from Mr. Deakin's speech on the defence policy in December last, and it deserves attention in the Dominion in view of the attempt which the Defence Council is understood to be making' to bring about the beginnings of military efficiency. The root idea of the Commonwealth scheme is compulsory training, made as nearly universal as is practicable. Under the existing Defence' Acts all male Australians between the ages of 18 and GO years are liable to serve in time of war, but there is no obligation upon anybody to fit himself for service. The memorandum ..explains that this omission is to be repaired by imposing upon every male Australian between the jages of 12 and 26' years, a liability toj.undergo military training in time of peace. The service is to be divided jnto two parts, tie Cadets and the National Guard, and they will be supplemented by " a collateral organisation of volunteer reserve's," established " tq encourage the voluntary ambition of-ardent citizens." The existing militia, and volunteer ilnits are to be gradually expanded into the National Guard, and special attention, is to, be given to the encouragement of exercises and rifle shooting. At the end of eight years, it is declared, .there will be " 214,000 men,, fairly trained, physically fit for war, properly equipped, and organised in seli-fcontained brigades for use as a field force, or in similarly complete units for garrison defence in important localities," and in 22 years, so it is estimated, there will be 750,00.0 Australians under the age of 40 years who have received military training. . _ Ample information on all the details of the scheme is , given in the 1 memorandum. The compulsory charafeter of the cadet training is ,to be. held in abeyance for a timet.. Youths between 18 and'2l years will be require*! to attend a training of'4B days in three years* and stress is laid on, the.fact that "tiie training bf the force.will be limited to such matters as are absolutely necessary for. war." Mr. Reid, as a cable message reports to-day, considers it" aii outrage" tliat the scheme should be "largely confined to young men between i 8 and 21_ years of_ age," and he objects to the introduction of " the pauper line " by, the provision of payment for. young men burdened with dependents. Upon this point the memorandum is a little vague, for while, it is definitely aisnounced that there will be no payment, as a general rule, to men under 21 years,, if is explained, that " an allowance may. be provided or some exemption, granted in very exceptional cases." . The exemption provisions .of ;all' schemes of compulsory military, service are highly important, and in Europe highly, productive of real abuses.-,,, On this question the memorandum says:—

Provision will bo mado for the exemption from service of those physically incapable, and_ also, of those. who reasons: of, State policy rcquiro to be freed from training, either/permanently or temporarily. Any contributions required to be mado in liou of servico will bo formulated when fuller experioiico is. obtained of tho numbers;, and character of, thoso exempted. In the meantime an elastic scale will be. adopted temporarily.

But in the meantime,-and for a few

years, tlie men of. the bush and the outback settlers will not be pressed into service.

The Federal Defence Department, as Mr. Deakin's December speech and the memorandum under, notice indicate quite clearly, .has definite 1 ideas upon .what is .wanted..; Fadts and .figures are not lacking on any essential ,point; It is, nevertheless, not Anticipated tliat the Government intends precipitately -to force upon the country a scheme requiring! the most careful attention on' both its financial and its ethical sides, for ;'copies of the .memorandum to the number of 50,000 have been circulated for public infor..matibn'. Mr. Reid's frank denunciation of- compulsory service as repugnant indicates that the proposals will ineet' with strong opposition as being bad' iii: principle. We note with interest that 1 he advanbes_ against _ the Government's scheme jobjections similar in kind to .those which we have in the past presented against the suggestion tbat our own volunteer system has been weighed in the balance and found wanting.' "What was wanted," said Mr. Ileid, " was to put life into the present defence system." Future developments in Australia will be watched with interest in New Zealand, and as the controversy .that is bound to rage about the new proposals will centre, \not Upon an | abstract resolution, but upon a concrete proposal outlined in detail, there,, is promise cf some valuable lessons for this country.