COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVII, 18 August 1910, Page 7

COMPULSORY TRAINING.

THE AUSTRALIAN SCHEME. ■ [press association.] MELBOURNE, August 18. lr. the Senate the Defence Act Amendment Bill was read a third time. It provides that all male British subjects who have resided in the Commonwealth six months shall serve, between the ages of 12 and 14 years, as junior cadets; from 14 to 18 years as senior •cadets ; from 18 to 25 years, in the citizen forces; from 25 to 26 years, men will be required tp register or attend . any parade the Governor-General may order. Perspns whose religion forbids them to bear arms are exempt. The following are exempt in time of war : The medically unfit, members and . officers of Parliaments, judges, magistrates, police, lighthouse keepers, medical men, police^ or prison employees, persons not substantially <?f European descent/, and any following occupations exempted by regulation or proclama- • tion. The duration of training each year will be: Cadets, 120 hours; senior ca- • -dots, four day drills, 22 half-day, and , 24 night drills. CitLzen forces : Sixteen day drills, or an equivalent of not fewer ! -than eight days in camps of continuous training. ' N I In the naval artillery and engineers, ana in the military forces, the training • wil' be twenty-fiv,e whole days and seventeen days in camps. bparsely populated districts may be exempt by proclamation. It is proposed to empower the Governor-General to establish horse depots on farms and stations for the breeding of troop Tiorses. A deputation of Seventh Day Adven--tists asked the Minister for exemption on Saturdays. He replied that if was a difficult qtiestion, but he would give it consideration.