OUR "DREADNOUGHT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 97, 22 April 1909, Page 7

OUR "DREADNOUGHT.

1 MR McNAB APPROVES THE

OFFER

SOME REMARKS ON MILITARY

MATTERS

[from our correspondent. I CHRISTCHURCH, April 21. . Mr R. McNab, who held the position of Minister for Defence m the last Parliament, is a very strong supporter of the scheme to establish a system of compulsory military training in New Zealand. He is an officer of* 3 the Volunteers, and he takes a deep interest in the theory and study of defences. When he was in Christchurch last evening he discussed the "Dreadnought" offer with a reporter, and he then carried the conversation on to the Volunteers and military training. He said that he believed that the Prime Minister had acted quite rightly in making the offer. The effect of Sir Joseph Ward's action did not end with the making of the offer; it went much farther. It would find finality in military training, and in urging the people of the Mother Country to renewed efforts in regard to the Navy. It was then that the maximum benefit of the offer would be obtained. The proposal had struck a deep chord in the hearts of New Zealanders. It had brought forth an almost iinanimous opinion in favour of universal training. Mr McNab said that when he was taking part in the Easter manoeuvres in Southland and at other times he had spoken to all sorts and conditions of men on the subject, and he had been surprised by the almost complete absence of opposition to the suggestion that all men should be trained in readiness for war. Mr McNab believes that the defence of the country must always be voluntary. He advocates compulsory training, not compulsory service, and he says that no exceptions should be made in regard to compulsory training. It will be found to be most economical and most effective to have all men placed on the same footing," he said. "If this proposal was adopted Volunteers of to-day would become the instructors and the trainers of a large annual draft of men who would come up for training. During the recent manoeuvres, in conversation with the Volunteer officers of the regiment with which I was associated I found that all of them were looking torward to an opportunity of giving their services in the wav of training in the drillshed and in the field to men who were being brought out compulsorily. I know of many Volunteer officers, in fact, who are only holding on because they believe that we are on the eve of the introduction of some system of compulsory training." Speaking of the present volunteering system, Mr McNab said that he would not say that it had broken down; the trouble was that the demands made by the • system had increased so enormously that men whose leisure time was limited could not do what was required from them. They could not now get three-quarters of their training under the roof of the "drillshed; it had to be done out in the field. There was an increased demand on the men's time during their hours of work. It was becoming so great that it was almost impossible to obtain the necessary number of men. That was one of the great weaknesses of the present system—no increase of capitation and no facilities for travelling free on the railways would remedy that defect. There was no comparison between the assistance given to the Volunteer today and the assistance that was given to him ten or fifteen years ago. In spite of it all he could not overcome the difficulties of his position; but if it was made compulsory for every man to undergo a certain amount of military training every trade and industry would be placed on the same basis, and each would have to make its requirements fit into the demands of the nation. Another weakness in the present system was in respect to the training of officers. They could not get their proper training, because the men could not afford sufficient time to take the field. Under compulsory training Volunteer officers would flock to the training camps, and there they would be instructed and trained with the men. Each man's term of training should extend over not less than three years. He should go into camp once each year for not less than one month on the first occasion, and for shorter terms in the other two years. His total training, therefore, would be only a few months. As the average life of a Volunteer was only.two years, the training would not be less than at present. After spending a month in a compulsory training-camp a man would be better drilled than the best drilled man in the Volunteers, outside of the special branches of the service such as the engineers and the artillery men. Weekly parades and that sort of thing would have to give way, and the present volunteering system would be merged into the new Reverting to the "Dreadnoughts" and to the constitutional aspect of Sir Joseph Ward's action in offering them, Mr McNab said that his opinion differed from some opinions he had seen expressed in the newspapers. If Sir Joseph Ward considered that he could not wait until Parliament met he was taking the proper course in acting on his own_ responsibility, relying upon information at his dis■posal to satisfy Parliament in that respect. He did not think that Sir Joseph should have consulted the individual members of Parliament, lhey were elected to sit in Parliament assembled, where the two Houses could demand and obtain from the Government all the information necessary to form an opinion that would commit the country. If the individual members were not in a position, to obtain that information; they were no more than other individual members of the community. If they had been consulted they would have replied favorably or otherwise without having full knowledge of the position, and when Parliament assembled they would be committed to a decided course in accordance with their replies, although tho production of information might show that they were entirely wrong. Sir Joseph had adopted a course which placed upon his own shoulders the responsibility of satisfying a Parliament that had not been prejudiced by a former expression of opinion by the members. of blame he should receive commendation ; he evidently felt that his case was so good that he did not require to prejudice the judgment of his judges by inducing them to commit themselves to a certain course. Sir Joseph Ward had followed a. bold course, Mr McNab added, and he thought that it was the most desirable one from a constitutional point of view. When Parliament met doubtless Sir Joseph Ward would show what infornmtion was at his disposal, and it weuld then be seen whether ho should have done what he had

cone, or whether he should have waited until Parliament met. "I think," Mr McNab added, "from what I knew exists, that it will he .found that the greatest gain was b be obtained from both, a national and Imperial point of view by the offer being made in the spontaneous manner in which Sir Joseph Ward made it."