MILITARY DISPLAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 22379, 1 July 1936, Page 16

MILITARY DISPLAYS.

TO .THE EDITOK. Sir, —I suppose “ Advance M is aware of the state of the world to-day; if he is not he will, in the very near future, have his eyes opened widely. Why should he condemn the boys—and boys they are—for wearing a uniform that their fathers wore in defence of their country? Of course, if “Advance” had his way he would abolish all military training because it is a tax on the ratepayers. What is wrong with military training? It is one of the finest trainings any young man can receive, not only from a physical point of view, but also from the main one, discipline! Can any young boy do without it? The parents forget to teach the 'young people discipline, and that is one of the reasons that the voluntary training has so few recruits, because they 'are afraid of the discipline. Young boys should not be forced to join the voluntary training, but I think that every parent who has the well-being of his boys at heart should have them learn something of the nature of defence. I do not say warfare, because preparedness should be the motto of every New Zea-land-bred boy. According to “ Advance,” there should be no war, but he apparently forgets that there will always be war as Jong as the greed

and jealousy that are so evident remain with us. Can he tell me of a nation that has not a defence force? The Soviet Union, which professes to be of a peaceful disposition, has an army which ranks as one of, the greatest in the world, and yet he would refuse the boys, who give of their time freely, the honour of showing off themselves; which, I might say, may mean many hours of tedious training. We all know there should be no war, but if “ Advance ” has his way there will be one in the very near future, for even though we cannot conquer we may be able to bluff, and I only hope and pray that “ Advance ” will not have the pleasure of seing those boys marching off to a man-made hell.—l am, etc., - Corporal. June 29.