CADET TRAINING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 145, 16 December 1939, Page 6

CADET TRAINING

"LACK OF ASSISTANCE"

"The Defence Department has always been very anxious that, in the secondary schools, cadet training should function; but, unfortunately for us, this desire is not supported by much active or practical assistance," declared the headmaster (Mr. W. A. Armour^ at the Wellington College breaking-up ceremony last night. _ "We have suffered this year in the issue and replenishment of uniforms." he continued. "We have not been provided with good facilities for shooting practice. We have had very little assistance in making our trumpet and drum band efficient. We have had no encouragement at all as regards our pipe band, and little if any encouragement to develop our engineering section. For many years now the annual training camp has not been held. Yet had not the post-primary schools fostered their cadet battalions when a strong movement was being made for their abolition, there would probably have been no Territorial units in existence at the outbreak of war. It speaks well for the zeal of our. officers and the spirit of the school, that, despite all these discouragements, the cadet battalion has been so efficient. Mr. Armour said that the school did not get' one penny of grant to carry on the battalion. He did not think that was quite the treatment the school should receive. He felt it should receive better support -financially, better support in equipment, and better support in facilities than the school really got today.