MILITARY TRAINING

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 4, 5 July 1927, Page 8

MILITARY TRAINING

COMPULSION OPPOSED

IDEALS OF LEAGUE OF NATIONS

(By. Telegraph.)

(Special to the "Evening Poet.")

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day.

In an address at the Knox Church on Sunday, tho Rev. T. W. Armour attnckod compulsory military training on tho grounds that it was of little military value, that it conflicted with the ideals of the League of Nations, and that the military camps had an undesirable moral influence on the youth of tho country. The Bpcaker said that ho wished to make it clear that the resolution passed by the Presbyterian General Assembly, calling for the abolition of compulsory military service, did not deal with the general subject of war or advocate a policy of peace at any price. The Assembly's resolution said, howovor, that the military, activities of this oountry should bo rapidly diminished and that, as a step in this direction, compulsory military training should be abolished."

The mnin reason for this was the existonce of tho League of Nations, to which Now. Zealand and the Empire woro parlies, and of which the Presbytorian Church was an. ardent advocate. Wars rose out of tho thought of war and the preparation for it. Another reason for the General Assembly's resolution was that under compulsory servico th "1111111! Men were couipollcd to attend the military camps, and often, so it was affirmed by those who claimed to know, with disastrous moral rcsultß. The speaker said tlmt ho know absolutely nothing about tho military camps in this country, but he knew what happened elsewhere. It was notorious that the barracking of men under the Continental system of compulsory military training had damaging effects upon tho morality of tho people. Anyono who know Britain know that every barrack town had its sink of iniquity. In further support of the Assembly's attitude, the speaker said our compulsory training 'was to a great extent fi. waste of time and money. We wore not in tho lino with tho best traditions of the Empire here. Britain would not tolerate a compulsory military service, if only because her first lino of defenco was the navy, and the same was true of New Zealand.