FORCED TRAINING

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 59, 2 December 1933, Page 21

FORCED TRAINING

Good for Young Citizens EX-SOLDIER’S PLEA As cabled briefly, the congress of the Returned Soldiers’ league of Australia at Canberra unanimously declared itself to be in favour of compulsory military training for youths. A resolution carried by the congress read:—"That the congress urge the Commonwealth Parliament to provide funds to bring the defence of Australia up to modern requirements, and that systems of universal training be reinstated at the earliest practicable opportunity.” Archdeacon C. L. Riley (W.A.) said that the returned soldier had to watch the defences, not only from Hie point of view of defending the country, but from the point of view of training the youth for citizenship. “’lf there is one thing,” lie said, "that can train our youth in discipline—and heaven knows the youth of Australia needs discipline—it is military training. It is the biggest antidote I know for the larrikin push, that Australia has got. I am speaking as a padre who goes into the camps' when he can. 1 know what a change has been made in the cliaps who have gone into training camps. They have learned a new sense of respect for other people. If there-is one thing that is going to deter the next generation from going into war, it is military training, which will show them the effects of shells. There is no better deterrent. Let our youth see what a mess a machine gun can make. The next generation will learn more of what war means by training for war in mild form. We believe that military training does not tend towards militarism, and that nothing but good can come to the individuals and to the defences of Australia.” Mr. E. 8. Watt said that Australia knew what it owed to universal training during the way. To-day Australia was in a worse position than in 1911. The system in force to-day was relatively more expensive to run than universal training. In New South Wales there were 50,000 youths between 15 and 21 years of at'e out of employment. Was it not better for them to have some objective, even if it was military training? It was better than loafing about tlie streets. Good material was being wasted. These youths were anxious to do something. lie did not think that pacifist arguments affected people in Australia. They were ail very well in the.heavily-armed countries of Europe and Asia. In Australia there was an enormous country and few people. Australia was not in a position to set a lead to the rest of the world in disarmament. If young men were not willing to fight for their countries they were not worthy of citizenship.