SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE. .—.—,—♦ . ...

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 10, 12 January 1912, Page 8

SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE. .—. — , — ♦ . ...

NEW BILL. - UNIVERSAL SERVICE. The text of the South African Government Defence Bill has been published. The Bill lays down the principle of the liability ' of every citizen to assist hi the defence of the country. The scheme, which is modelled on the Swie6 system, proposes, however, only to train annually- the number of citizens reasonably required for defence. In an explanatory mmorandum issued with the text the view is expressed that the training of the whole population for military purposes would create a 1 greater force than the country reasonably required, and would impose upon it too heavy a financial burden. The Government will periodically ' fix the number of men required. The training will last ,for four years, between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five, and will consist of as many' day and night drills as may be necessary to fit recruits for the ranks, plus eight to. fifteen, days' continuous training annually. - Rifle association training will be provided for the remainder of the/ citizens not undergoing military training. These latter,' however, will also pay £1 yearly for twenty-four years. The Bill provides for compulsory cadet training where it can be carried out efficiently. Coloured persons are entirely excluded from war service or peace training, and from , the > money contribution. , The defence forces will be divided as follows :—: — Active Citizen Force— (l) Permanent Force;' (2) Coast and Garrison Force; these two forming the first line of defence. Citizen Force Reserve, forming the second line. , National' Reserve,, third line. The Active Citizen Force will con- I 'fiist of citizens between the ages of seventeen and twenty-ILve, and it is estimated that for this purpose 20,000 'to 25,000 men will be sufficient. The Permanent Force will consist of — (l) r Five regiments of South African Mounted Riflemen, totalling 2500, two' to be* stationed .in the Cape and one in each of the other provinces. These will absorb the existing Mounted Police and Cape Riflemen.- They will carry out police duties, but will be trained for military purposes; and , (2) A corps of officers and non-com-missioned officers to act ac the instructional and - administrative staff of the Citizen Forces/ A email number of complete unite of "artillery will also be provided for. The Bill proposes to continue the plan now in force at Table Bay, where the Cape Garrison Artillery supplements the men of the Royal Garrison Artillery, and also to extend the system to Durban. The Cape Garrison Artillery will form the first division of the new corps, to. be called the South African Garrison Artillery. CITIZEN RESERVES. The Citizen Reserves will , consist of citizens between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five, divided into two classes : (1) Those who have received military training, and (2) those who have only learned the use of the rifle. No compulsory training will be l'equired of the Citizen Reserves.' v The National Reserve, which will only be called out in the gravest emergency, comprises all citizens of ages from seventeen to sixty. The Bill also provides for a Naval: Volunteer Reserve, though an accompanying memorandum points out that the Bill does not seek to create a local navy in any shape or form. The existing militia and volunteer forces will bo embodied in the Active Citizen Force, but provision will be made for the different corps to retain their identity. . The Bill provides for the establishment of a military college, but does notpropose in the initial stages to embark upon an elaborate institution on the'liaes adopted, elsewhere. The nucleus will be formed by one or more centralised schools providing special courses for officers. , • The Bill introduces the ballot if the Active Citizen Fore© should prove inadequate. The' Permanent Force is liable to service within or beyond, the borders of the Union, and the entire citizen, force is liable to war service in any part of South Africa. ' It is estimated' that the scheme will cost the Union an extra £300,000 a-year, taking into account the present expenditure on defence and police. The Bill also provides that ail ranks shall be instructed in the giving and r* ceiving of the executive words of-com-mand both in English and Dutch, ' and that military instruction and training shall be given in the language best understood by the person instructed.