THE DEFENCE SCHEME

Evening Star, Issue 14624, 21 July 1911, Page 1

THE DEFENCE SCHEME

AND THE PRESBYTERIAN ! I CHURCH. | ! Military training was aygin discussed j i by tho Dunedin Presbytery ytcte-rday | ' aftemuon. * j The, Rev. A. Whyte #ai<l hk conviiti<m i I wais. that it was necessary for them, in ve- ! | spect to the dignity of the Presbytery, to j I leave on their minute* .some record of the , ] mind of the Presbytery on tho (picstion j Jof military training. In regard to the I ! general princi]iie they had (given their ■ I people no lending whatever. It wa.s j I nectfsary for litem to let the Church | j know, and the State know, what preeitsely, j | after niontlie of discuseion, they meant on j | tho rjuesl,ion. Mu moved : j ; That, wliereaf. the hietmic errods of \ | this Church ret forth the civil ntagw- j i tiate sis oid.-iinec.l by Cod and armed ; j with the paw or of the sword for <le- i I fence and lor neewsary war. and ! j wherctiK the fatliwY, of this Chin hj. in j j .signing their historic covenant, bound I i tliermselves to defend with their '.sub- | stance a,ud their livee the pei-s.m of the l-Luig. tho imthority of Pariiamont. and | j the hbet-uee of the kingdom, this Pros- i i bytvi-y rejoice in their own generation i ': to look upon pat-viottejii at* one inaiti- < feetation of religion, consider that it ■ is the duty of every citizen to train himself to defend his country, and cominaiid to their faithful people a cheer- | ful ac(puiwsfcej), , .t' in the demands, of the \ re<:oiit, Defence Act. ! The motion v.-is tecoiuled by the Rev. ■ W. Gray Dixon. The Rev. -A. Cameron opposed the motion, and said they were not called upon , to'paas motions on political subjects a.s a ■rule. He had not heard people exprws- ; iug their anxiety to know what the I'ivs- , bvtoty thought' on this mattt']-. and he j was quite Certain the Goveraiu'iit were j not greatly concerned. lie did not think j tho Church *hc:;kl ally itself with any , i political party, itnd they were, doing fo ; I if they pasistd a, resolution like that. I They were allying the Church with the war'party. Tht-y should not agree, to the j veeolutaon, inrtJi v, because the military . tramiug would .avolve an extraordinary j : was-te of the firancefi oi* the Doiuiriiou. ; | The new <lepar.ure was to cost corne : £300,000 more, than wc had been paying j before, and that was only the beginning of j it. He agr,-ed that we should pay our j fdvire for the defx-nc© of the Empire, but ] our defence could never be by t-mall armis. : Even Liritaiii, though, within 30 miles of j the Continent, of the storm centre, had j never been in danger of invasion while she held the power of the sea. If we ! were to spend money for defence it ought - to be spent on the Navy. I Hear, hear.) There might be- .some ton.se in that, but the idea, of requiring every young man to take up arms and to be trained to shoot with r-m:ill arm? was ;;n absolute wa/de oi money, and ; t would grievously dis- j organise'trade. If the training, as Major | (iodley said, wa.s to be no more exacting j than 'under the old Volunteer system, I bow were they to get a better eoldier ! from it. Woi-o people on farms nnd_ at , ! dairies to be hrought in to town to train? (A member remarked that it, was unwork- j able in the country.) Of conrs-e it was j unworkable in the- country, and if it was j not applied in the country, what was the j good ol it ? The peril of these young ! men going into i imps wan very great, j and the advantages practically nil. !t bad I been said that the training would do our j voting men good •'h\- ie.-illy. but tho doctors, j 'weix* .<•!*.Ai •, ■■' •■t ;!ii<. r-'v^':>■"- ~"';•■ •■' excellent. He Imped, however, the drill- I ing would improve (heir teeth. (Laughter.) He supposed their teeth would be ! just about as useful as their rifieii—- \ (laughter)—in did'euding us "against, an | I enemy. The treaty lately renewed with I | .Japan had shown the alism'dity of talk- | : ing of an invasion liy the \'eilow Man. t I China had no fleet, and would not have i I one for many a long day. In any case, if , j tho Yellow .Man did invade one of these j | colonics the whole civilised world would J jbe involved. The fear of invasion was I j certainlv a, delusion. Countries like P.ri- | lain and the United States and Canada j I bad never needed to adopt compulsory | j training. Where was the need for it in j I a. country like ours, defended naturally ; as no other Dominion was'.' It was said ; | that our youn/g people needed discipline. ! [(Hear, hear.! "That, 'might be. If so. it ■ j was a. reflection on the family, on tin: ; : Church. ;ind on the State day schools. The ; i drill seigeaJit. in one hour a week, was go- i 1 ing to .-ecuie discipline and res]i.-ct for ! ! authority when these three forces i-oiitinu- i | ailv tit work could not <lo it : He might i ! remark that he did r.ct think the young ' ! colonial wtis any ne-re lacking in respect > I than his brother in the Old Country. I '■ (Hear, hear.) He would move—" That Ifliis Pi-eshvt<>iy do not deem it expedient i ! to expiess any ttpprovttl of the Govern- j j ment's scheme of military training." "I , j don't .-.upiiose I am in iho majority here." j 'he cmeliided. "hut I am quite prepaied; j for that." ! The lb-.-. A. I), it seconded t!ie motion, j and said he would go the length of jtrotesting against the system a'toget her. He held ' j that 'the thing "had been forced on the j eounny. and that the coun.ry kr.eu prtic- j tically nothing nlmut it-. It the country; had been consulted in the matter it would I have been shut down co.mpLe.ieiy. He him ; j self Siad been a vohmte< r. atid'a ptdd drill ; i in:-tnic!oi, and had a Gove.i mneia cet.tli-; j catc iiuthoiising him to act a.-, such. He ; I M-oiild riipport Sir .lo.seph Ward if ne gave j j half ii dozen Dreadncaguus, a:;d -,i" y.autld i j spend all the money 'we could ' all'ord in I I .sr.reugiiiiming our Navv. t j iiie Rev." ,1. CJii.shoini said that Mi, | l.'ameion's sp'-.-ch ivjo quite- in-eievan;. a ; :d | that hiss motion wa- not in acc'irdai-ce with ; | the jiast history of l'res.byU'ria.nisni I ' its reiation to the " civil magistrate" oi i ; thi' State. As a Chutch they itad ::> insist : i Uuil. while tin- J.nr stood. II in.-- the duty : of cVU/xus to submit to it. iHc.tr, hear.)! He in': v«! -"That lim Presbytery, wit it-; out expressing any opinio:: regarding the : (orapiilsi'v nieth.Kl of .militaiy ttabiiag ; adopted by j'-.riia-ment. be'ieve it to be the \ duly of af! citi/.c-ns ti submit to uiwt J.- at j present the law of the land." He agreed | tint if the pjblic had been given time to jconsider the m.itter the Defence Ad. y.-ou'd I probiibly ne-vcr have been on tiie Statute ! j Rook, "it Steait-.l to have oeeii lush-'d j thiotlgii. | ' I Tiie Row J. Aliken seconded I'ie am- ..d- i ' : men;. i j The Rev. .Mr Wiiyte. in replyiru;. said I Mr Cameion lioisted a llati " I am opixis-d ; 1 to the men of war." but on the other hand ; I lioistod another flag : '" ) do lieiong to the ] j war |).-crty. 1 ; pu willing to give my ul- . I most farthing to the war party, and will , j give my subst.mce ami my life ;o r.r.anote j i a Navy strong enongn to defend this .-earn- , : try." 'He desired it to go out to the w/mie j I llhurrh, which believed Mr Csameron a i i Quaker, that he was a war man. (Laugh- j ter.) .Mr Cameron's- f-peech contained a - 1 certain eh\n-"-e. of m'irthiuirj- st, not in , I keeping with, the fieriousne-ss of the .subject. ' There had been a departure from Mr Cameron's customary fobriety of manner. Nine members vtol for Mr motion, and five en<-h for Mr Chisholm's i amendment and Mr Whyte-s motion. Trie | Moderator gave his cacting vote to the | ter, which was then pitted against Mr i Canieron's-. r rli p result was that Mv Came- j Ton's amendment was- carried by 10 votes j to 7. The Rev. R. R. M. Sutherland : We arei a- poor lot. | The Revs. Sutherland. W. Gray Dixon, | | A. Whyt«, .1. Chisholm, and Dr Nicolspn j I asked that theit names be recorded as dis- j j renting from the Presbyteq-'i- decision. |