SPORTSMEN READY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 91, 19 April 1939, Page 10

SPORTSMEN READY

HOME DEFENCE

COASTAL PATROLS

VALUE OF YACHTSMEN

Praise and approval of the action of members of the Star Boating Club in enlisting for military service was expressed by leaders of sporting- bodies in Wellington today, and the opinion was expressed that sportsmen in general were fit and ready for local defence and should be encouraged to apply their particular qualifications to the work. It was also agreed that the need for preparation for de-

fence was urgent.

Those with special qualifications for defence work were said to be yachtsmen and speed-boat racers whose knowledge could be applied to coastal patrol work, harriers, who have an excellent knowledge of the country for a radius of thirty miles around Wellington and could act as guides for troops moving to points on the coast away from the highways, and cricketers, who proved during the Great War that bowlers are invaluable in the trenches when hand grenades have to be used. It was also suggested that hockey players received training that fitted them for bayonet work, where sure-footedness and quick action are essential.

It was unfortunate that the value of the men who took their sport on the waters of the harbour and along the coast had not been realised and put to use in the past, said Mr. G. H. Tanner, a member of the Wellington Provincial Yacht and Motor-boat Association, when commenting on the position of yachtsmen in Wellington. The local yachtsmen knew more about 'the coast than anyone else, and those who went cruising had a knowledge of inlets and currents that would be invaluable to coastal patrols. Those who operated speed-boats could be utilised for fast motor-boat work because they knew how to handle such craft and how to get the best use out of them. Yachtsmen learned from experience how to avoid adverse currents and could take their boats about and across Cook Strait in a way that a stranger could never attempt. The yachtsmen had trained themselves to master the coast, but instead of being encouraged in their training they had been discouraged. They could be helped by the Government and local bodies to make themselves efficient as a body of men who could play an important part in home defence.

The action of the Star Boating Club members was a gesture that might be; followed by other young men who took part in organised sport, said Mr. A. C. Kitto, chairman of the Wellington Centre of the New Zealand Amateur! Athletic Association. A very fine type of young man took part in athletics and the action of the boating club was i one that they might follow. He was I certain that the centre would help them in every way possible. READY TO SERVE HERE. If men were required to defend New Zealand the harrier clubs would cease to exist, said Mr. R. Spence. He considered that the average young man was willing to serve his country for home defence, but that many would not enlist because there was no guarantee that the Territorials would not be sent overseas. If the Government would guarantee that service in the Defence Forces was for home defence only, he believed more young men would enlist than could be handled. As far as the harriers were concerned, he was sure 99 per cent, of them would offer for home defence, and they were a good body of men. The members of the Wellington clubs knew the surrounding country over a thirty-mile radius and knew how to get to places that were seldom visited by others. They would have a definite value as guides or for carrying messages. All cricketers must be impressed by the action of the members of the Star Boating Club, said Mr. J. H. Phillipps, chairman of the management committee of the Wellington Cricket Association. The young men who played cricket kept themselves fit and were a good physical type, and during the Great War cricketers had proved their value when hand grenades had to be thrown.

"There can be no doubt about the necessity for service," said Mr. J. N. Millard, chairman of the management committee of the Wellington Rugby Union. Rugby players were a type that made good soldiers, but as far as enlistment was concerned that was a matter for the individual. The clubs might consider some concerted action, and if they did they would receive any assistance the older followers of the game could give them. HOCKEY PLAYERS' RECORD. "If there is a war before the first week in May there will be no hockey competitions," declared Mr. C. P. McKenzie, of the Wellington Hockey Association. Competitions had been abandoned during the Great War because the majority of the players enlisted, and if they were needed for home defence he was sure they would come forward again. Their training on the hockey field would be of value to them and the young men playing hockey would make excellent soldiers. Military service was largely a personal matter, said Mr. H. N. Burns, secretary of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association, but it would be generally agreed that every man available who could spare the time should

train for service. The young men who played tennis were as fit as any section of the community, and he believed the association would approve and encourage the action of members who wished to serve in the forces. The committee had not considered the matter, but he was sure they would join any general movement to help with defence. YOUNG SCOTSMEN ENLIST. An indication of the interest' of the | Scottish community in defence activities was given by a report made today on the enlistments in the four centres. The New Zealand Scottish Regiment, which is in process of formation, will be composed of one company of 125 men in each centre, and the recruits offering greatly exceed this number in each instance. At Dunedin over two hundred young men are anxious to join the Regiment, and Wellington, although the Scottish community is not so large, has done almost as well. Christchurch has 190 young men ready to wear the kilt, and Auckland has 180. The acceleration of recruiting during recent months for all units has provided an opportunity for training the Army Medical Corps in its initial duty in time of war. The examination of the recruits from the Star Boating Club last, night showed that recruits could be dealt with at a fast rate, and that the medical organisation is in good working order.