EFFICIENT UNITS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 187, 7 May 1934, Page 2

EFFICIENT UNITS

Territorial Forces BOYS’ COLLEGE CADETS Inspection by Minister The physical alertness, discipline and manly bearing of the boys of the secondary school cadets of the Auckland district, which training under their masters and officers of the Defence Department had been the means of producing, were features highly praised by the Minister of Defence, Hon. J. G. Cobbe, who returned at the week-end from a comprehensive inspection with the General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Defence, Forces, Major-General Sir William Sin-clair-Burgess, of the territorial force and cadets of Auckland, Waikato, Rotorua, and Whangarei. In an interview with “The Dominion” the Minister spoke also of the efficiency of the territorials of the northern centres and of the enthusiasm of the men in the force under the present voluntary system of recruiting. “Quite apart from any military aspect,” said Mr. Cobbe, “it is a treat and an all-round pleasure to anyone to see at some of the fine colleges of the Auckland district the boys on parade to the music of their own bands. In one of the schools I visited with the General Officer Commanding there were 950 boys on parade. Well developed physically and highly, disciplined, and exhibiting the manly bearing of stalwart New Zealanders, these boys of the colleges carried out their manoeuvres with the rhythm of the band, hardly a fault in their movements. Feeling of Pride. “I came away from one or two of the schools with a feeling that there was a type of young manhood which any country could feel.justly honoured to possess. Without exception, the masters of the schools with whom I talked about the boys spoke, with enthusiasm of the excellent fitness which the training brought to the boys—a fitness which developed thtjir bodies and their minds and made them the better able to grasp and go through their educational studies. A splendid team spirit was also evident among the boys; they pull together in whatever they tackle for the honour of their school, the honour of their parents and of themselves. “There is nothing wrong with a system of training that increases such admirable features as I have mentioned in our boys for future citizenship. The men that some of the schools had produced—it would perhaps be invidious to mention names, many Of which are very well known in all of the higher walks of life—provide a tribute to the training at the schools which stamps on our different systems the hall-mark of efficiency.” Admirable Spirit.

The territorials Mr. Cobbe reviewed with the General Officer Commanding also won his admiration for their efficiency. “They were,” he said, “a splendid body of men. Although not so nu- ‘ merically strong as were the units of the south,’their stalwartness and efficient work were very noticeable. “One artillery section I saw in the far north numbered only a few men. A heavy rain had set in on the night before the parade which thinned their ranks, but these men I saw were indeed outstanding in the handling of the guns and of their general knowledge Of them. The General himself put each man through a stringent test — very difficult tests to the layman—and each showed a remarkable knowledge of the guns. The men of one of the camps of the mounted units I visited were so enthusiastic that in very heavy rain and with two of their marquees blown away with a fierce wind that prevailed, they carried on their work in a spirit that was good to see.” The class of efficient men which the Defence Department had on its staff as instructors at the different secondary schools and the work of the masters in the encouragement of physical drill were also commended by the Minister. “IVe have,” he said, “the right calibre in these divisions, mon who are able to impart to the boys their knowledge of all forms of physical exercises and drill, and their work is very praiseworthy.”