COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 511, 19 May 1909, Page 4

COMPULSORY TRAINING.

THE IGNORANCE OF MR. M'LAREN,' ■':."''■.:'' ' MvP - ■"' ■•' .'■' Sir,—The peoplo who', like Mr. D. M'Laren .and' Mr. P. U'Regan, violently object to coriV pulsory military training, seem to forgot that -, the legal mechinery necessary for putting into force some' such system alroady; exists. Even a. cursory .study of tho New-Zealand Defence Act of 1836 will show: that this ment is correct, and a.close examination, of the Act will reveal the/fact that all ablebodied men between thfi ages of 17 and 55 years of ago, with certain oxceptions, are liable to bo called on. to.serve their country. All that seems .necessary to bring tho Act into uniformity with present needs is. to amend, it in, such a way that tho length of training each year shall bo increased to whatever may be deemed necessary: ■'.-.- ; - • -. Here, then, we have machinery, which,- if slightly improved and. sot'in motion, would give us a citizen army in a few months; and when such persons as Mr. LV M'Laren and. Mr. -P. .O'Regan rave, against the iniquity of compulsory service they are attacking what is already provided for by tho law of tho land. That .'individuals, ignorant apparently of tho powers invested-in tho Governor-in-Council, should futilely rage against a,'principle which was settled, and adopted by New Zealanders moro than twenty, year's ago, is' extremely ludricous, when we remember that Mr. o'Rcgaii himself sat for at least threo years as a.Taw'-rnaker in. Parliament, and that Hii, M'Lareii is an N M.P. ,'And what would happen if tho, Governor was tocall out tho militia? Tho'immediate result would-be that the oxist'ing'volunteer, corps would be flooded by ex-voluntecrs, and othors anxious to avoid being-enrolled in the militia regiments. ;; Indeed, all that would ;appear to bo needed tbniake volunteering a success is to enforce tho.Defence Act as regards the \rnilitia, Proper organisation and officering of the" militia would, be the great problem for tho Defence' Minister' to, solve. An efficient'general staff and of staffs in defence districts would have to be created, and a proper schemo of-' defence would have to-be formulated, _'a rid . .would ' have to '.be -tested on. mobilisation being., carried out.:.: .The bases _of supply (including ammunition factories) instead of being situated'on tho coast, would have to be formed in tho centre of each island. At least ,havo„ to bo formulated, and would hava to bo acquired, for tho use of the field'artillery, and a proper supply, and • transport service would havo to be created, - >•" \ Heretofore, no voice has been ' raised againist tho inertia of those in authority, but the' merest. military tyro may-discern their inability to cope with, tho position'of affairs. At least;;the 20,000 volunteers enrolled might hnvc; been decently ..organised,; and supplied with''the'requisite'equipment. '-But, no. Not itho. apology, for .mobilisation .has ever been put in motion, because, then, the weaknesses of the system would havo been plainly, re-, .vealed. Lessons .taught at Easter carhpß have been'.studiously ignored—but the:authorities. The lack of Supply and; Transport Corps has been made, ; emphasised, but nothing.has been done to remedy it. The' comic opera manoeuvres/carried out in most, districts, have shown the utter'ignorance of war-methods -prevailing, in the.-minds of those'who'are supposed to be field officers. ; The company bfficprs and,the n.c.o.'s seem to understand, their.work fairly well,, and, if bandied by competent taotieiahs, they would give a-good account -of .themselves,, but. of, what .use- aro the rank'arid file: if the staff is 'rotten'?.- And these burlosquo evolutions so.take the'heart out of the men that vacancies in tho. corps are filled .with increasingly inferior, recruits. :,:. Now, what-is' tho. useof creating 'a!-'now forco unless provision is made for efficient staffs?. It. doesn't:.;matter what force wo ■raise,.equip, and-organise, if tho staffswhich would; manoeuvre it in. wartime aro to bear any. likeness, to the'laughable travesties of staffs which exist at the present time.. The reorganisation' must begin at tho top. ..We must place in-command soldiers who possess aptitude, for war, who haveibeen' trained in their profession,', Wo shaHneed on.the'staffs taotioians and strategists, men who havo a military eyo for country; and who understand something' moro than the ..niceties of ceremonial .drill. ' •".." : ■'!.'■'■' ... : ' .It may bo asked,-"Where aro we to get such ;men?" .'There;aro to bo found among thb artillery and mounted. infantry, officers who have a grasp tactics, and there are many; more who' with proper • tuition would raako useful members of a staff. All that Is wanted is to mobiliso about 100,000 men,- vol unteors. and militia, and start in to equip and drill them' under a staff of. instructors, imported, if possible, from India, where you at presont find' tho British soldier'in greatest perfection. - Probably Lord Kitchener would dolight to nominate "for us -a General Staff .which would organiso the newly-raised army; ancf make it worthy of wearing: the King's uniform.: But let thero bo no mistake: the Govcrnor-in-Council possesses enormous powers under .our laws in regard to military service. .Ho may call out .the militia to-mor-row, if -ho pleases. Ho may issue what instructions ho sees fit' to the troops when raised, and'it would seem that enthusiasts should appeal to him, instead of to the muling and puhng members of Parliament; who, ike Mr. M Laren, do not appear to have tho least; knowledge of the Defenco Act, and are ignorant of the wide provisions made therein for compulsory military, service.—Lain, etc ', r ~ "'■''",'. J- M'KENZIE. ■•' Murohison, May 12, 1909.

Sir,—ln view of the very mixed reception given to the scheme ,'of compulsory 'military training at the Town Hall on Thursday nighti I beg to suggest that this most important question be put to the referendum, and then we .shall find tho .true feeling of the country on tho matter.. ' . It 13' generally supposed that, Labour as a whole is opposed to nationnl defence, but I happen, to know that such is not tho case, having had personal conversation with several prominent members of tho Trades Council, and that they, beg to differ with Messrs. M Larcn anil O'ltecau on this ona qi.tstion, l'or mysolf, I cannot undei stand how anyone can bo opposed to compulsory 'military training unJor eortain conditions,'the principal condition being that the refcrondii.il bo taken on all vital questions connected therewith, otherwise wo should have some jingo Primi Minister sending contincsaM to Tim-i buetoo, tho Sudan,-or some other outlandish place, at. the bidding of John Bull, senior. .Wo are given. to understand tliat the Defence Conference in Kngland has lien postponed.to allow Sir Joseph Ward to bo in attendance, so perhaps it is just as noil to not dally much longw in this matter', or wo may find ourselves under the thumb' .-f ■ Downing Strcrt, : tu>d down to somo scheme that will probably not be the best for Now Zealand ' ■ Just one word to .my Socialist friends who kinked up such a fuss at Iho meeting on Thursday night. At prosfrir w.; certainly liavo the power of rofonh. per madium of the lmllot-!)o\-, hut I am very much afraid that when ■tho Mikado comes ho will reform us off the;fare of. the earth, capitalists, Socialists, mid all.—l am, etc., Pctoae, May H. R, TtJNB»