The Ensign. SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1909. COMPULSORY TRAINING.

Mataura Ensign, 22 May 1909, Page 2

The Ensign. SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1909. COMPULSORY TRAINING.

The wave of patriotism which is sweeping over the Dominion at the present time will, if it can be properly directed, result in much good. If tho gift of a battleship to the Mother Country by New Zealand leads to this fair land of ours being adequately protected by citizen soldiers the democracy may will wink at the unconstitutional action of the Prime Minister in making the presentation before he hail consulted Parliament. During the recent election the fact that the volunteer system had broken down was commented upon by many speakers, but the members of the then Government did not place this unfortunate fact in a prominent position in their published platform. That Government was more concerned with saddling the country with an unpalatable land tenure than with leading the peoplp fo a better system of defending their hearths and homes. The Opposition on the other hand were emphatic that a better system of defence was wanted. Now that the country as a whole has awakened to the danger of allowing matters to run on in the bad old way there are many advocates of compulsory training. Wc have in these columns on various occasions suggested tho adoption of a modification of the Swiss method of training and can therefore welcome the fact that a somewhat similar system is being advocated by such a distinguished volunteer officer as Mr McNab. We cannot agree with him, however, when ho suggests that compulsory military training should not be followed by compulsory military service. The one without the other would be a sorry farce. There can be no hardship in making the one follow the other, for service would only be asked when the country was in danger and at such a crisis it is the duty of evory man to face the. enemy in defence of those wdio are dear to him. To this extent Mr McNab fails in his mission. There can be no half measures when the defence of the country is the consideration. If a youth is taken in hand at 18 and trained until the age, of 21 is reached and then it is left to his patriotism to come up for service, the important lesson of public duty is only half instilled. The child of 10 should have this duty taught him and the lesson should be continuously imparted to the lad both in tho school and defence cadets until he had completed his 16th year. Then he should be drafted futo the defence forces and he trained thoroughly until he has completed his '2lst year. After that he should bo liablo to service whenever necessity arises. By adopting a system such us that outlined the public duty of every citizen to defend tho country would be instilled into the youth and manhood of the nation. They would not be taken from tho industries of the country in a manner that would operate, Such a course would probably cost a good deal more than the present system, but in a few years, there would be a large aud efficient force of citizen soldiers always ready to repel an invader. It is somewhat unfortunate that during the period that -Mr McNab was at the head of the Defence Department he did not persistently press upon his collengnes and upon Parliament the opinions he is now advocating from the public platform. Had he done so it is more than probable that the country would have had cause to thank him for the initiation of :a practical system of defence. Though his present advocacy of n saner method of military training than that In existence is laudable nothing can recall the opportunity he missed of urging his patriotic views from a higher sphere than that he now occupies. The report of tho Defence Council for the vear ending February '29. 1908, lies before its and therein is ample food for reflection. It is there plainly hinted that matters are not as they should be and it was the undoubted duty of the Minister in charge of the Department to tako notice of the state of alfairs. It is true that Mr McNab was only ActingMinister of Defence last year, but he was responsible: aud it is particularly unfortunate that he waited until 1909, when he was not in possession of the power he had in 1908. before- he felt called upon to stump the country in favor of military training.