COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 839, 27 March 1909, Page 4

COMPULSORY TRAINING.

» c PUBLIC MEETING IN THE DRILL HALL. FAVO UK/ABLE MOTION CARRIED. A public meeting was held in. the Drill Hall last night to discuss the question of urging on the Government the necessity of intioducing,§ome form of compulsory military training in Now Zealand. ihe Mayor presided, and there was a moderate atendance of ladies and gentlemen. The Mayor explained the object oi the meeting, saying it was to endeavour to impress on the Government the .necessity for introducing some form of universal training. He read iipollogies from. Messrs F. F. Hockly (Chairman Kiwitea County Council), S. J. Carman (ex-chairman Kiwitea County Council), and Edward Newman, M.P. He called on Mr Atkinson to move a proposal. Mr Atkinson, before proposing his motion, said .he ielt very much disappointed at the smallness of the meeting. Continuing, Mr Atkinson said he had no previous experience as a volunteer, and regretted his ability to deal properly with the great subject. His proposal was — That in the opinion of tins meeting, a scheme of compulsory military training for all able-bodied young men in the dominion is absolutefly necessary, and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Premier. The fact was that they had lived in security for so many years that they did not recognise the imminence of the danger of attack. The time had come when it was absolutely necessary to have universal military training. It would give them more safety and self-re-liance—their idea was not anything but to defend their own shores. He quoted from a speech from the Hon. K. Haldane, Minister of War in Britain, showing the necesity for military training, and from a letter recently written by Co. Campbell, and published in a Wellington paper. Mr Atkinson showed the pftan carried out in Canada, pointing out how they were prepared to muster a large force at a moment's notice. He was glad to see Mr Guthrie present at the meeting, and hoped he would be with ■them in the matter. it was always the case that the people had to load their Parliament, and he hoped they would lead Parliament on this matte) 1 . Mr John Cobbe seconded the motion. He pointed out that the meeting was a representative one. The motion, in the speaker's opinion, did noc go far enough, it should provide that men such as the Mayor and himself should be compelled to follow a system of training. (Hear, hear.) Mr Cobbe, after referring ,to the proposed training as a compromise between conscription and volunteering, said the movement would perhags be a loss to employers. He pointed out, howover, that employers should look upon it as a sort of insurance. (Hear, hear.) Mr Cobbe stated that in London a largo number of employers hatl offered three weeks' holiday on full pay to every employee who would join Jthe> (territorial army. Providence had placed them in a free and fruitful land, one of the outposts of the British Empire. The Mother Land looked out across the leagues of ocean and said, ''You are the heirs of the noblest heritage upon 'earth, your fathers bought your freedom with blood upon many a stricken field, and upon many a stormy sea. Guard we'll the sacred trust, committed) to your keeping." And the answer oi New Zealand would be, "We will guard it well." (Applause.) Mr Thos. Watson also spoke to the motion. He emphasised the fact that the motion did mean militarism. He was against war as war, but pointed out that national defence was the first duty of citizens. The speaker gave it as his opinion that England had only been saved from conscription by the, result of the production of tlio play, "An Englishman's Home," in enticing such a large number of men to join the territorials. He laid stress on the fact that a little more militarism would straighten out the Hat chests and .strengthen the physical und! mural characters of their young men. Mr Watson spoke eloquently of the achievements of the British soldiers in the past. He need not appeal to them — he knew that when the time came, they would respond to the call. (Applause.) Mr D. H. Guthrie, M.P., said he had expressed his views before, declaring himself not in favour of compulsory military training, though he agreed that the present system did not give them all they required. If the system of volunteering were properly handled, it would give all they needed, and it that were proposed, he would give it his hearty support.' Mr H. Tolley, President of the Chamber of Commerce, said he had only to remind them that about three weeks of warfare in European waters would l completely demoralise the whole of the mercantile trade of New Zealand. He pointed out that New Zealand was absolutely unprotected. What protection did" they have for the coail measures on the West Coast? The time had come when it was necessary to take up the training for defence with seriousness. Cantain Barltrop took objection to Mr Guthrie' s remarks about "compulsory." He said Mr Guthrie was connected with education, and did he not know education was compulsory. The word "compulsory" was a mere myth. The people of New Zealand did not realise their blessings in living in this country. If they had to go back to the days of the Curfew Bell, for about a year, they would recognise their freedom. (Hear, hear.) Captain Barltrop, referring to the volunteer force, said the force was never better catered for than it is at the present time, and his opinion was that the better the Government treated the corps, the more apathetic the public became. He drew attention to the fact that from all the stores in Feilding there was only one member contributed to the local corps, and he hinted that the employers did not encourage their employees to join the force. The Feilding corps was., he believed, better catered for than that of any corps in the dominion, yet the apathy shown in Feilding towards the corps was greater than m any other corps in the dominion. They suffered from the absence of a cadet corps in ■Feilding, to catch the boys after they •had left school. If any one would take it up, he would be pleased to help them m any way. The captain made an appeal to the audience for more support to the Manchester Rifles. There were about fifteen young men in the hall whom he would be pleased to get in the corps. Mr Mostyn Jones said he was pleased to see ladies present. They were the ones who suffered most from the ravages of war. Referring to the men, he said that nationally they were doing nothing to defend themselves. •He reminded them that war was a thing not of weeks, but of years.' If Europe were engaged in a war, New Zealand might be forgotten for a few months, still it might then strike the enemy that New- Zealand would be a good place to raid and if we were raided and captured, we should be a good counter ; to work on in the general washmg^up after the war. In such a case, New Zealand might be handed over io the enemy. He pointed out that the present volunteer force, though they had done their -best, were not sufficient. If men were, not trained, though they were splendid shots with the rifle, they would be useless against trained men, therefore the time had come when they Should take up the matter m earnest. Mr H. Mclntyre supported the motion. In the past of New Zealand, 40 years ago, there was no danger of raid or attack, but the world had changed largely since then. Atone time, Britain was absolutely supreme as re- j garded naval power. Now sueh "was t not the'oVse. It was necessary for New Zealand "to prepare for home defence. This was a duty 'from which no (patriotic ' citizen could escape. After, pointing out the benefits of the train- : *ng, Mr Molntyre said he had pleasure in supporting the motion, and hoped it would meet with practical unanimity; Mr S. W. Fitzherbert, in supporting . the motion, said he thought the pro- i motera of the movement who were at the nteetiiig should show their genu- , ineness by giving, a helping hand to . the Manchester Rifles. Mr W. H. McLean said the cadet movement was a great .one, but the gap be^een, the cadet f«w«J-gJ volunteer, iow* was so B.^*^l ] good wort done at whool WW !<>•*• J

After Mr Atkinson had replied, the motion was put and carried, with four dissentients.