THE MEDICALLY FIT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1176, 11 July 1911, Page 5

THE MEDICALLY FIT.

TOR MILITARY TRAINING. Tho initial stages of the establishment >t the Dominion s new defence system may be expressed thus:-(a) "Whom have wo g°£? (b) "What are they like?" ( c ) .Who shall serve?" In other'words, registration, which is now completed;.medical examination, which was commenced nt the Garrison Hall last evening; and, lastly, the selection of quotas, which cannot be proceeded with till the first two questions are settled. Last night saw the Jirst. 150 of tho registered Wellington youths put through a comprehensive physical test at the Garrison Hall. The nature of tho medical examination of recruits for the senior cadets and Territorial I'orces has a ready-quite recently-been reviewed in The Dominion. The scene at tho Garrison Hall last evening was an interesting one. The youths who had been summoned to attend for medical examination were paraded in line, two deep, all sizes, all sorts and conditions, in fact. J lie line stretched right across tho hall and one end of if was steadily tapped by an orderly and conducted into a dressing room, where a lire was burning. Strip. Tied to the waist, and equipped with their record books, they then faced the orde : al ot the examination room, where a heating-, stove was burning, tor tho air, breathed upon by an Antarctic blast, had a bitter "feel" about it. As Young Number One entered tho examination room, he was taken in clni"'e of by another orderly, who measurwl h ! m for height. Then he was weighed, tested for hearing, sight, colour-vision, chest measurement and expansion, respirationhis were carefully examined, and' nltoTCt!)!>r. it seemed as if the test were comprehensive enough . for nil prnctic-il purposes. Thus examined, his fitness for milih-.r.v training was certified lo by (.ho "P.M.O."—i.e.. the Principal -Medical Officer (Lieut.-Colonei C. Jlackie Bcgg)— under one of tho three heads:—"Pit (A) " "Fit (B)," and "l-'it (C).." When the time comes for the youths to be posted lo their various units, the authorities will draw first upon tho "Fit (A)" class, as representing the best material. physically, available for (he Territorial Force. Having exhausted the "Fit (A's)." the Department will no doubt go to (lie ''Fit (B)," and see what can be done with them. From the "Fit (B's)" the aullioi-ities will (lien see what can bo done with the "Fit fC'<o." This eveninsr another batch (if youths will be passed round. Tho work of examination _ last night ran very smoothlv, and Lieut.-Colone! Bcgjr hopes to get through more than 1/iO per evening opt the system is in proper working order. Lieut.-Colonel Pnirs is being assured by Dr. Elliott, Dr. Harty, and Dr. Holmes.