SIR IAN HAMILTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16567, 3 June 1914, Page 12

SIR IAN HAMILTON.

j SPEECH IN WELLINGTON. THE SWISS MILITARY SYSTEM. ] LESSONS FOR NEW ZEALAND. 1 (Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, June 2; 4 General Sir lan Hamilton, InspecI tor-Genoral of the Overseas Forces, j was tho. guest of tho New Zealand Club at luncheon to-day. There wero also present Brigadier-General Ellison and Major Ashmoro (staff officers), the Hon James Allen (Miuistor of Defence) and Major-General Godlej 7 (Commandant of the Forces). General Hamilton, replying to the toast cf his health, thanked tho chairman for tho kindly remarks he had made and also those present for attending in such largo numbers to do him honour. Although they looked like millionaires, he knew that many different sections of tho community wero represented, and lie oon.siderod' it very Mattering, lie proposed to taik to them about Switzerland, which lie visited in his leave just before he came out to Australasia. Ho went there partly for the purpose of making comparisons between an established citizen army and tho latest development of that system as ha found it out here. In hi 3 report, which he was handing in to the Defence Minister he frequently referred to tho Swiss example in organisation. Ke wonted to touch upon a broader and deeper side of the question altogether. Ono point to bear in mind was that New Zealand was seven times larger than Switzerland, another that E-ho had only onefourth of tho people, and another that she had three times tho revenue. These figures upon the face of it made tho New Zeaianders. look a rather fortunate people. Whereas the Swiss out of a total revenue of £4.000,000 spent £1.750,000 on defence, .or nearly half; of it, Now Zealand only spent £ooo,ooo out of nearly £12,000,000. Comparing the situations of the two countries, he reminded them that Switzerland was surrounded bv the greatest military Powers in the world, while New Zenland was very far removed from any danger. Thus on the face of it there seemed to bo grave reasons why Switzerland should have her military house in order and comparatively little for New Zealand. They must, however, consider the character ot the clanger. In Switzerland large proportions of the people were made up o Germans, French and Italians. U. Switzerland were invaded and even conquered bv Germany, tho German people, they would imagine, would be fairlv well at home, and the same would apply to the French. But here the positio.il was otherwise, lhc danger facing New Zealanders might be very remote, but it was not a danger of being overrun by a people who the same language and were of tho samo blond as the lrrger proportion of New Zenlander?. There were dangers in the Pacific which made up the situation, and those wero the reasons why they should have an army, although the danger was remote. The Swiss policv, declared Sir lan, was that no one should be allowed to stop into Switzerland without their permission. The Defence Department did not raise the armv. The cantons, or in New Zealand the Municipal Councils did it, and the Education Department raised the Cadets. The role of the soldier there was to train and command the army. Ho referred to the ancient practice of the Romans in making the civil right identical with military service, the idea being that thero should be no separationT In both of those countries, in Switzerland certainly, thero was no question of evasion or default. Th? reason was curious, and undoubtedly lay in the attitude of the women to the defaulters, '"'and," said the General, "they have really got to. That is what it conies to." (Laughter.) He had tried to imagine what would have been the attitude of the Swiss or the Remans had they been faced by a large section of the community desiring to evr.de personal service to the State. He was pretty sure, unless the objection had been a religious ono, that they would have proceeded by no special punishment or imprisonment or anvthing of that sort, the whole idea being tint a man n'mst obtain his political rights by rendering himself iit to exercise them- Thev woidd h»ve said. "Hero is a man who w'shpi to share in the government of tho State, but i=; not pronarod to do auvthing to protect it." "and such a'rmn," said the General, as ho h ; s scat amid prolontrpd npnlnuse, '•'wdidd not have got on the voters' register."