DEFENCE MATTERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 100, 29 April 1909, Page 3

DEFENCE MATTERS.

SPEECH BY MR. JAMES ALLEN, M.P. [BY TBLEQBAFH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.I MILTON, 28th April. Addressing his constituents at Milton on the subject of defence, Mr. James Allen, M.P., said that to him it seemed thSt any scheme involving a subsidy or otherwise meant that as we were coming to the Mother Country's aid, the Mother Country should give us representation, so that our people might be assured that some definite policy applicable to tho whole Empire would be followed. It should be decided how much each portion of the Empire should give towards the mam fleet, and, in addition, the various portions interested in particular seas should join hands to police those seas and protect their trade routes. Mr- Allen proceeded to say that we had inadequate harbour defences and 1 docks and other works were not protected as they ought to be. While giving praise to those who belonged to our volunteers, he argued that the volunteer system itself did not produce the lesulls required, and that the time had come when it was necessary to enter upon a system of universal training. By this ho did nut mean "conscription." What they

were after was a system that had been tried elsewhere, and which had proved to a large extent a success. Such a system from his reading did not inter* fero with industrial capacities. Itakled the development of the true citizen. Ke did not believe that the national training should end at 21 years as tha Defence Minister had hinted. He believed in beginning with the cadet and carrying on the training consecutiselv to 21, and he also throught from that time onward our men should be brought out annually for a certain amount of training, so that in the course of time there might be such a force ready to take arms that even the most powerful nation approximate to us would hesitate to come into conflict with us. Mr. Allen was thanked for his address, and a motion was carried in favour of uni-v vprsal training both for naval and mili-« tary defence.