MILITARY TRAINING

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 261, 31 July 1929, Page 13

MILITARY TRAINING

Sir, —I have read with considerable interest the many letters which have recently appeared in your paper in regard

to military training, but it appears to me that many of your correspondents have f had no practical experience of the present system of military training in practice in this country. I have recently completed pine years’ service with the Cadets and Territorials, and I have had ample opportunity to form opinions as to the benefits, or otherwise, derived from our system of military training. I have come to the conclusion that the youth of the country would derive more benefit from a system of compulsory physical training than they do from the prevailing system of military training. Possibly there will be cries from our ’’war lords” that to scrap our military system would leave us unprepared in the event of war, but I am not forgetting that war is still a possibility, however undesirable it may be. A three years’ course of physical training would leave the youth of this country in a fitter state to defend their Empire than they are at the end of their three years of Territorial training. The evening parades which a Territorial is forced to attend are so much waste of time. What he does at one parade he repeats at the next. The time allowed is insufficient for any real progress to be made; it is not the instructors who are at fault, it is the system. True, at his annual camps the Territorial learns many and varied ways of attacking and killing his fellow-men, but when the next camp arrives he covers practically the game ground again. The majority of trainees when their period of service is ended, are little more prepared fop war than they were when they entered the Cadets, as far as military lore is concerned It is no small wonder that so many are dissatisfied with the existing system of military training, for it offers no adequate compensation for the many evenings wasted at drill. ’ , It may be argued that a system of compulsory physical training would cause just as much dissatisfaction as the existing systc ■ of military, training, but in the course of many discussions which I heard in the camps I attended, I was surprised to find so many who would prefer a system of physical training to the existing military training.. It is not because our military training is compulsory that so many object to it, but because such little benefit is derived from it. A system of compulsory physical training, and there is no reason why such a system should not extend to girls as well as boys, would prepare more thoroughly the youth of New Zealand to defend their country should such a necessity arise, and more important still, it would build up a nation of healthy and virile men and women.—l am, etc., Wellington, July 23.

Sir,—The - Hon. G. M, Thomson, M.L.C., strikes the right note in his trenchant letter published in your issue of July 19. He, inquires, in effect, are these objectors to military service fit to be the spiritual leaders in t'he Church, and apparently is of the opinion that they are not. The attitude and views expressed by Mr. Thomson are precisely t those of the great majority of Presbyterians. At the last meeting of the General Assembly I expressed similar views, but, I regret to say, with very little support. I am, therefore, pleased to see a gentleman of Mr. Thomson’s standing in the Church and community holding and expressing like opinions. - . , . , t The Presbyterian Church is, I suppose, of all Churches, the most democratic m its form of government, and its leaders will be well advised not to ignore the opinion of the very large section of the Church that views with grave displeasure, if not with a sense of shame, the attitude the Presbyteries of our Church are adopting. ... Clearly Mr. Thomson’s very pertinent question calls for an answer from all Presbyterians: Are these objectors to military service the right persona to be the instructors and spiritual leaders of their fellow-men?—l ®tc.. A. COLEMAN. Hawera, July 25.