IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 432, 15 February 1909, Page 7

IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

F-" Svl &S^- ; iNTERESTING. STATiSVEENT. > ~ • l/;;;:^;:^:;-^:(Bi;MiEGKMH^sPECii)i-c6K^ ;^./;|Vi?/^&might^)e;BUpp6sed.; froiri^his\late/conriec- ■'-: iSao'n ; i\yithJth6 r linperial; Army; ;Earl' Stanhope, '^(* ;:": i' ft: who '.-la (nby '■: bri'"a 7 .-visit=to? New; Zesilandi;|and. !; :-V / :- : :l >h who 'd-- captain/:/ in /the' '-f^r'Grennßierj'Guar'iisj.lakes:a\;"deep:inte>est in: ; '--j.'i .-;■::"• i ;iM(itorß ! ;:'^ating7.^//Imperial';'de'fflhcs;'- / ;; His_ V:'?;';'V; ;^i.-VTw\ys7oi y tlie.-iihi)prtaiit question w6rb r .sought' '■'-'.':'i':': x V'vi in.thecburs.e'bfsan intorvie.w'/atßotOruii, and' ■ ;;^&; f ; :;hque3tipji : Vpf .^pmjiulsory^trainingiiis/regarded '.';,•? ; '-v ''.'//by.'him';as-bne'''pt- very* great'impprtan.ceV 1 ,/-/;' P-& : Z-&3i!& feu v jft t'':■:»," of .-defence/is va/liye/one/ ;how,v '«': =:■;'.■ i«;' Lqrd;;Staiih6pe: ;a; ; liye;. question/ •.'. ;: ' : ;'//Sit■•;hae'-:l)e'comp:''!nore'~liTO;since.-I'ileft'.-Honie, i?'i¥;v4Sand;-I hope/it-ATill.\continue 5.6. .'Though/the: •'fr:. V"' , , , Yadvooatee-of'la. system .of 'cp'mpiibso'^.'-military. •;;-i': : !;'. : ;-'-K- ; '-- ;^trdinmBy^rei;npt.:'yp^ •'•S-'-.'-'-i'-V'^^ ! #& K -nation/ |werp taken: oh' ; tho; thinks it ???5 J.oe ;f bund : that ;the' 'principle is ■favoured ; :j;ii-;/;/S;!by;a":jgreat;-mMyVmpre':pMple:t^ i'a^-;-:^'Safiy/? u lW s edS , '^-h'ear;a^greatJ^ ':-■•■:',•-i- • '■■ ";?Bboufe :anx Englishman's/ f rebdom;; but ::tq /joy; iyy:;;/i;;/min3/his'freedbmVsbould^ jS^'^Wjb^his/firsjydutips/is/thatbfibeingiprep^re^ ■ ; -VI: f;'? ?itcrserye'his■ cpiintryi-in/time of While , ; i.v/;'!v ; ->Vfore '/'•-v; --W ; ! fev^i^-istheVlinesi'pnlwhich.v Mrr/Haldario'; has/:started V;Si ■ ySimb ih./cbrih'ectiqtiS'ivith ; his'vTerritbrial ; ForceV: :r'-:S V; Ssrlt/willibefof /no/ >i?e: itf.'tHeVsyprldjl'j-h'eyeaidi; ,i//>:: I'.%iX: -//only'. a'few/Hays'■training'a year^/Spmetliing •i i; v;;V;/•./•■more ■ thari'jthis :is;iiebded/.for t '':■}. ■ SS ; ':it'<.ie: : still r mbr'o v .n6cessary/for, : the/bfEcers^ , ..'-It : - : ':5?: ; *0 is■ ridiculbtis;ti';expec't that^ari;'which; : .iai>; ■ ; i@-:i'S> ?s oiehce^ «• (EKi?;;.; awasj'ai difficulty; -in ';inakirig: ; the// publio' ; under-- ' I ;vS'staSd m'orb; ; thnn;;.a;: ■'£?■ !: c'K'Berie'svof~battleß?>l-^Menv'-think,'^;,he;;;said,; ! /ffi'v/;/ ! "L;-"that.if:a"tfah;jis;ready'ftb'ile^ •■ ' '(h £' / c required," butlthfttds :&■ grayb^TrbftS/Ajknbwr/ oi'-wf/V^?';'!;^^!-^'^©^^^-,;*^ ■'/?- ; ':.handlinE'.trbo^

1 , *T\ho knowsiand the one who does not know* , f is very great." Lord Stanliope said'that a ■ whole year's training might bo said to be ne- ' L cessary at the outset to prepare men properly for service, 1 or if this could not' be arranged, i' a period of, say, a month a year would meet '■ the , case. 'The difficulty in connection, with ' any voluntary system was thai while one employer might take tho highest patriotic view t>? affording his men'every facility for 1 training,- his competitor in business might take tho opposite view, and theroby, perhaps, gain an advantage as a trade rival. > , •In rifle shooting,' Lord Stanhope takes a „ deep personal interest, 'and ho has provided a private r,ange' on his estate in Kent for the purposo of enabling.the workmen.to train themselves in the use of the rifle. Hβ expressed his gratification oil being informed of v , the movement in the satno direction that was now being initiated in New butjhe pointed out that the art of being able to i " shoot straight was only one of the essentials * -of a good soldier.' "A disciplined army of . only fair or ,even indifferent shots," ho said, 1 "might wipe out an .army of ' undisciplined ; good shots." ' , x . j , {Lord Roberts's Warning. > 1 . On being asked what»lie;thought of Lord Roberts's statements ;as to the necessity of England being prepared for suoh "a contin- . i gency as an invasion, Lord jStanhope said he * considered ,thati 'the warnings of, the late Cqmmander-in-Chief wefo quite justified. "It , miqlit be urged," he 'added, 'Lord Roberts should have spoken in this strain be- _,,, fore his. retirement —on his return from South 1 ~" .'Africa, 'for,-instancc—when ,his-> utterances' "■ might have carried more weight than at preBent. Lord Stanhope "said that ,he -did not desire to/pose asVan alarmist] but the duty .of being prepared, was'one..,that England 'should not neglect. "War," he added, "is ' not a plaything,' or at least it, should not be is what our politicians "have been.doing for a long time past." . On the subjeot of naval ( defcnce; Lord Stan-hrt-s, said that_ the present building , pro- : gramme, .vinyolving: as it did tho .maintenance of the two-Po'wor standard, was a heavy one, but it was necessary. He thought that the Mother Country might , yet find it necessary' to look to her colonies for an increased measure of financial assistance in keeping up her , naval Btrcngth, on which, of course, the , solidarity of the Empire So largely depended.