PHYSICAL TRAINING

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 42, 17 August 1918, Page 4

PHYSICAL TRAINING

FOR TERRITORIAL ARMY.

Further consideration was given at a meeting of the Wellington Officers' Institute last night to the proposal put forward by the Director of Military Training (Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. Sleeman, 1.G.5.) for the introduction for the benefit of the Territorial and Cadet forces of the Army gymnastic system of physical training. Colonel G. V. C. Campbell presided, and Captain Dunne, secretary, reported that the committee appointed by a previous meeting had conferred -with Captain Brocks, Chief Physical and Bayonet Training Instructor to the Camps, with reference to the instruction of a number of officers and n.c.o.'s who would undertake the training of Cadets and Territorials. Captain Brocks was very desirous of helping, and had agreed to draw up a suitable syllabus. He had stated that the way to train their instructors thoroughly would be for selected men to undergo a course of/ instruction at Trentham ?or a fortnight. Training in the city on one night a week was an alternative, possible only on a modified syllabus, and would take about six months.

The meeting decided that the instruction in camp should be obtained if possible, and it was decided that Defence Headquarters should be approached for permission to have selected officers and n.c.o.'s given a fortnight's training in this way.

The secondary and technical schools 6ub-committee of the Canterbury Education Conference reported, after considering, five remits submitted to it, recommending :-—That the principle of compulsory daytime continuation classes of not less than eight hours per week for all boys and girls up to the age of 18 should be affirmed; that wherever the Minister was satisfied that the holding of a technical class in a country district was practicable and of great educational value, the Department should grant the board a reasonable sum sufficient to cover the expense of carrying on such a class, instead of paying capitation as at present, which was frequently inadequate for the purpose; that, except in trades where special educational provision is made, it should be an obligation on employers of persons under the age of 18 years to give them facilities to attend continuation classes without deduction of wages. The committee reported that it had asked Professor R. J. Scott to lay before the conference his suggestions for the training of workers in manufacturing industries, and with regard to a remit from the Workers' Educational Association, that it was of opinion that special attention should be devoted to cultural subjects in the earlier years of continuation instruction. The recommendations were adopted. •