DOMINION DEFENCE

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 252, 21 July 1938, Page 14

DOMINION DEFENCE

Discussion By Education Board TERRITORIAL TRAINING A motion by Mr. J. J. Clark at yesterday’s (meeting of the Wellington Education Board, that the board should ask all its employees under 21 years of age to join the territorial forces, caused a long discussion and was finally withdrawn in favour of one by Mr. H. Duckworth, who moved: “That this board offers its wholehearted support to the volunteer movement.” Mr. Duckworth’s motion was carried unanimously.

Supporting Mr. Clark, Colonel T. W r . McDonald said there was no intention of holding a big stick over the board’s employees. “It is up to the board to encourage the volunteer movement right up to the hilt until it is proved to be inadequate,” he said. Mr. L. J. McDonald opposed the motion as being an unwarranted encroachment and intrusion on the personal liberty and life of the individual. He said he was not disputing the right of the Government to issue such a call to the youth of the nation, but he did not think it was a matter for the board to usurp the function of the Government. It was only one step further to dictate to employees what organisation they should join in order to bring about the moral regeneration which many people, rightly or wrongly, believed was necessary to save the world. Once let them set themselves up as judges of the responsibilities of individuals and there was no limit to which they might not go. “We have reached the stage where all thinking people should know Where they stand,” said Mr. C. H. Nicholls. “When a Bishop starts advocating the importation of 5,000.000 Japanese into New Zealand it is time we began to think for ourselves. From my own experience, I have nothing but good to say about territorial training. I had seven years of ft and it taught me to be punctual and respectful. What harm can it do?”

Colonel McDonald: It does a tremendous amount of good. Mr. Nicholls: It taught me to walk properly, and to see the way many of our young people slouch about the streets is appalling. It’s a little bit of discipline which would do them the world of good.

Mr. Clark’s motion went further than he liked, said Mr. Duckworth, because, although no force would be used, there would he a certain amount of moral persuasion. Supporting Mr. McDonald, Mr. G. M. Henderson said that whether an employee joined or did not join the Territorials was surely a vatter for his individual judgment and initiative. “The board pays for the time and services of its employees.” he added, “but it has no authority to make such a suggestion to them.” “A Matter for the Government.” “I regret I cannot support the motion In its present form,” said the chairman, Mr. W. V. Dyer. “It doesn’t come within the function of the board and is purely a matter for the Government. If we make any suggestion we would expect it to be carried out, and the motion savours of compulsion. It is not the function of the board to tell its emploj’ees what they should or should not do in matters of defence, but the board could rightly say that it would be prepared to meet its employees if they wished to join up.” Mr. A. Donald opposed the motion on the ground that it savoured too much of dictation. He approved .of the principle, however, that all young women as well as young men should be interested in the defence of their country.

“That Is really what I aimed at all the time —I did not want to suggest anything mandatory,” said Mr. Clark after Mr. Duckworth’s amendment “that this board offers its wholehearted support to the volunteer movement” had been carried unanimously.