The Feilding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28,190«. CADETS AND VOLUNTEERS.

Feilding Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 178, 26 February 1906, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 190«. CADETS AND VOLUNTEERS.

The organisation of School Cadet Corp3 is undoubtedly -a feature in the administration of Mr Seddon, for which he can justly claim credit, and we are satisfied that the public appreciate his woik iv that con nection as far as it has gone. But though much has been done to set the boys of the Colony on the way to become useful members of the Defence force, much still ramains to do. The Press points out that the absence of any link between the cadet and the adult volunteer corps is a defect in the defence system, and the Government should endeavour to devise some scheme whereby the cadet's interest in volunteering, and his efficiency in drill and shooting can be maintained unt'l he is old enough to enter the adult corps. If that were done, the latter would have less difficulty in keeping up their strength than is now the case. But a greater defect is the voluntary nature of the cadet system. At pre sent a boy may join his school corps, or leave it alone, just as ho likes. If he elects not to join be knows no more about the use of a rifle when he leaves school than he did when he entered it. It should be no more a matter of choice with a a boy whether or no tbil shall be instructed in rifle shooting than whether he shall learn parsing or vulgar fractions. As Mr Stead pointed out in his recent letter to Colonel Bauchop on this subject, " If the boys during the last two year 3 of their schooling went through a short course of rifle practice, even if only to the extent of firing fifty rounds of ammunition a year, it would give each lad some idea of the use of a rifle, with the result that in the course of a few years the majority of the male adults in the colony would be of some use if the necessity should arise to protect the colony from outside attacks." Several years ago Mr Stead suggested to the Premier that rifle snooting should be taught in the public schools. The Commandant has urged that "every boy in New Zealand should be trained as a cadet," since the future of the colony, in General Babington's opinion, " may very well some day depend upon the ability of its male population to defend it." Such views will appeal to the commonsense of all who take an interest in the future welfare of the colony, and we trust that Mr Seddon, who has done well with the public school cadets so far, will see his way to include rifle shooting among the compulsory subjects of every young New Zealanders education.